Former prime minister and chairman of the parliamentary group of "We continue the change" Nikolay Denkov warned that US President Donald Trump's policy towards Russia could create serious risks for the security of Europe. He commented on the agreement between Washington and Moscow for the supply of Russian diesel, as well as Bulgaria's readiness to defend itself against drones.
On NOVA, Denkov said that in his opinion Trump is looking for a quick solution to the problems with fuel prices in the US in order to avoid a heavy loss in the upcoming midterm elections.
"The situation reminds me of the beginning of World War II. My concern is that Putin is trying to make a deal to take Eastern Europe: Ukraine, the Baltic states, Moldova, and perhaps also south to Bulgaria and Romania. And this would be a prerequisite for tragic events," he said.
If left alone, Bulgaria will be very easy to conquer
According to Denkov, Bulgaria must continue close cooperation with its NATO allies, as its national security is directly related to the defense capabilities of other countries in the region.
"Our defense is entirely related to our neighbors, who are members of NATO - Romania, Greece, Turkey. If left alone, Bulgaria will be very easy to conquer in a variety of ways," he warned.
The former prime minister also opposed the idea of Ukraine accepting surrender as a way to end the war. According to him, such a decision would not guarantee the security of other European countries.
"When you have an imperial power that seeks to expand and threaten neighboring countries, it will never agree, if there is an easy victim, to stop with just that victim", commented Denkov.
Denkov: Bulgaria is years behind in drone protection
The chairman of the "We Continue the Change" PG also commented on the meeting of the National Security Advisory Council, convened by President Iliana Yotova after the attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea.
According to him, among the topics discussed was the country's readiness to detect and counter unmanned aerial vehicles.
"Bulgaria turned out to be completely unprepared and especially compared to its neighbors, we are years behind. I did not see any desire in the government to solve this problem as quickly as possible," said Denkov.
He emphasized that countering drones is already among the main defense priorities of European and Middle Eastern countries.
According to him, Bulgaria has backed away from some of the initiatives for joint defense, including a NATO initiative for anti-drone systems.
Accusations of concealing information after the attack in the Black Sea
Denkov also commented on the strikes against the two merchant ships in the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone, pointing to Russia as the likely perpetrator.
"The only one interested in sinking these two ships is Russia. There is no way Ukraine would be interested in sinking its ships, which export wheat or import salt," he said.
The former prime minister stressed that the Black Sea is already a zone of active military operations and warned that Bulgaria must take into account the risks to its own security.
He also accused the government of the way in which the information was presented after the incident.
"The prime minister said that there were no contacts with Ukraine, which is not true. It became clear to the KSNS that there were contacts between the services of Ukraine and Bulgaria after the incident in the Black Sea, and they were repeated several times. There is a concealment of information," said Denkov.
He specified that during the meeting of the National Security Council there was an in-depth discussion on national security issues.
Prediction for the presidential elections
At the end of the conversation, Denkov also commented on the upcoming presidential campaign, expressing confidence that Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev will reach the second round.
"This campaign is still developing. I am convinced that Mr. Gyurov and Kandev will be in a runoff, and the outcome of this runoff is not at all clear," he said.
Source: www.dnes.bg