„Unfortunately, we made a mistake in Russia. We had a hope or that wishful thinking that through economic ties, good cooperation, we could reach an agreement with Russia. Based on perceptions, we actually demilitarized our armed forces. Budgets have been shrinking for years, even at the beginning of the Russian aggression we found our warehouses empty or full of obsolete equipment. And now it is very difficult to catch up. If you order the nuclear missiles now, you have to wait 3 years. Do we have that time? Of course we don't. That's my perception. Again, Russia is ready to escalate, Russia is ready to escalate on the ground in Ukraine, also against NATO countries”. This opinion was expressed during the Second Black Sea Security Conference by Yordan Bozhilov, founder and president of the Sofia Security Forum, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Bulgaria (2022).
„The beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call for most European countries, because they realized that this is a war not only against Ukraine, that Russia is actually trying to destroy the entire security architecture of Europe and threatens the world order , which guarantees global and European security”, added Bozhilov.
„The Europeans saw that Russia was not only ready, but also willing to impose its interests by force. The recognition that you have a warlike neighbor who is ready and coming to your borders was a wake-up call for Europeans. That is why we now see that the perception of Russia is changing. NATO is talking about increasing capabilities on the eastern flank, especially in countries like Bulgaria and Romania. We already have NATO forces on our soil, increasing our defense capabilities, etc. The EU is trying to revise its Eastern Partnership and add more security perspectives to it, but some other countries, such as the US, are considering a comprehensive Black Sea strategy that will include military, political and economic aspects, he stressed.
Any development of global events directly depends on what will happen in Ukraine. “No other military conflict can escalate, and in the case of Ukraine, the enemy must be defeated,” said Peter Van Praag, president of the International Security Forum in Halifax.
„Every single global problem depends on victory in Ukraine. I think that's the message that everyone should stick to. The battle that is being fought in Gaza, even if there was an escalation yesterday, it can be contained. What needs to happen in Central Europe is that Russia needs to be pushed back, needs to be demoralized on that side of the equation. And you can be sure that China is watching very closely what is happening in Ukraine. If we want to avoid direct confrontations in East Asia, and in the Middle East not to escalate. The way to do this is to push Russia out of sovereign Ukraine”, he said.