Bulgaria under Radev has been removed from one of the key formats in which European security is discussed.
On August 24, the leaders of the “Coalition of the Willing“ will gather again for Ukraine. The meeting will be led by Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Andy Burnham, with the participation of Volodymyr Zelensky. Some of the leaders will be in Kiev, and the rest will join online. Europe's air defense and the future security architecture will also be discussed.
Bulgaria will not be there.
This was published on his Facebook page by the co-chair of "Yes, Bulgaria" Ivaylo Mirchev. Here is more from his analysis of the events on the domestic political scene:
This is already a sustainable policy of Radev's administration. On July 14 in Paris, he stated that "Bulgaria's place is not in the Coalition of the Willing". The result is clear: the format continues to develop and make decisions without Bulgaria.
Isolation is not sovereignty. An empty chair is not an independent policy. When you are absent from the talks on European security and future guarantees for Ukraine, you let others make the decisions without you. Before Radev, Bulgaria was at the table. Under Radev, Bulgaria chose to leave it.
After the first 100 days, we are already seeing the consequences we warned about.
Bulgaria is falling out of the formats in which the future of European security is decided. The empty chair is no longer a metaphor. It is Rumen Radev's foreign policy.