Bulgaria is not prepared to set hard borders to Russian aggression in the Black Sea, political scientist Ognyan Minchev told the Bulgarian National Radio. According to him, two merchant ships were sunk in just one week near Byala and Shabla.
Minchev pointed out that the European Council has identified Russia as a possible source of attacks on vessels near the Bulgarian and Romanian coasts. However, no concrete measures were identified after the two-day meetings in Brussels.
“One such hard border could be for Bulgaria and Romania to accept the main Black Sea trade traffic in their territorial waters, which would expose them to direct strikes by Moscow if drone strikes on ships continue“, said Minchev.According to him, such an approach should be accompanied by collective defense against drones. The political scientist noted that representatives of the government and the parliamentary majority are already talking about such a possibility, but Bulgaria is seriously lagging behind in the development of modern defense technologies.
Minchev: The main risk is the expansion of the conflict
Minchev expressed disagreement with Prime Minister Rumen Radev's position that high fuel prices are the biggest problem for Europe and that all steps to reduce them should be supported.
„Europe's biggest problem is that we see serious attempts by Putin to expand the aggression against Ukraine by involving the periphery of both NATO and the European Union in the conflict, for now through hybrid mechanisms,“, said the political scientist.In his words, this is about attempts by Russian President Vladimir Putin to involve the countries of Eastern Europe, NATO and the European Union in a direct conflict. Minchev also said that Putin and US President Donald Trump underestimate Europe's capabilities, which, in his opinion, will make cooperation between them more difficult.
Forecast for the US midterm elections
The US Congressional midterm elections on November 3 may weaken the pressure of the Washington administration against Europe, Minchev predicts. According to him, this can happen both through a change in the balance between the White House and Congress, and due to the growing domestic political opposition in the country.
The political scientist warned that the reaction of Trump and his entourage in the event of a possible defeat carries risks. He recalled the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and stated that the election results could lead to additional tension and extremism of political life in the US.
Sources: bnrnews.bg