The leader of “Vazrazhdane” Kostadin Kostadinov said that if elected president, he will insist that Bulgaria declare “active neutrality” in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“This means you do not support anyone,” Kostadinov said in an interview with bTV. According to him, passive neutrality means support for one side or the other, while armed neutrality implies that the state has the capabilities to defend its own territory.
Kostadinov claims that Bulgaria is already actively involved in the war, as it supplies weapons to Ukraine. He stated that our country is the largest exporter of artillery ammunition to Kiev and that Ukrainian artillery uses 90% Bulgarian shells. These statements were presented by him in the interview.
“When you set fire to your neighbor's house, you should not be surprised that the fire then engulfs your property“, said the leader of “Vazrazhdane“. He rejected the thesis that neutrality would mean retreating to Russia, and defined it as taking an independent position.
Kostadinov raised questions about drone strikes
On the topic of drone incidents in the Black Sea, Kostadinov said that two scenarios are possible - a Ukrainian provocation or a Russian attack. According to him, the origin can be established by analyzing the remains of the drones.
He described as absurd the idea of prohibiting Russia and Ukraine from waging war against each other through a moratorium on drone attacks. Kostadinov also said that the war could end through surrender or through peace negotiations.
The leader of “Vazrazhdane“ also stated that reservations for the tourist season next year are zero. The interview did not provide specific data or a source for this statement.
Dispute over the purchase of five air defense systems from Germany
On October 15, the National Assembly approved the acquisition of five more anti-aircraft missile complexes from Germany. “Vazrazhdane“ deputies voted against the decision. The deal is for IRIS-T SLM systems and is worth over 1 billion euros, with funding provided under the European SAFE mechanism.
Kostadinov said that Bulgaria has a more immediate need for a system to counter drones. According to him, the delivery of the German complexes could take at least three years, which, according to him, raises the question of whether they will meet future threats.
„Vazrazhdane“ insists that Bulgaria develop its own arms industry in order to reduce its dependence on foreign suppliers of ammunition and military equipment.