Bulgaria did not sign the agreement that would provide assistance to Ukraine.
"The sign is to the Bulgarian citizens and it is that the Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister refuse to implement their own decisions, which shows a rather poor governance of the country. The message we are sending to Ukraine and the free world is that Bulgaria is still under very strong influence of the Kremlin. There is also a softer explanation that all this is a theater until an agreement is reached for a government with the participation of the BSP.
This was stated by the former Minister of Defense Velizar Shalamanov on "Denyat ON AIR".
According to him, the biggest loser from not signing the agreement is Bulgaria, and the biggest winner is the Kremlin.
"A decision was made on December 19 - to sign this agreement, but this was a very critical moment for Bulgaria and it is important to have a regular government as quickly as possible. We all expect the result of these negotiations to lead to the signing of the agreement. It guarantees security in our region and prevents new aggression by Russia," Shalamanov added to Bulgaria ON AIR.
We have been in a situation of lack of sustainable governance for quite a long time, he is categorical.
"The messages from Bulgarian citizens are very clear that they expect a regular government, because they see that the last 3-4 years of caretaker governments have led to negative consequences for all Bulgarians. Any normal agreement must be within the framework of the mandate under the Constitution in parliament," the guest explained.
Russia must withdraw its troops and pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine, Shalamanov is convinced.
"I have reviewed at least 20 agreements of other countries. The main parameters are related to post-conflict reconstruction, cybersecurity, energy security, food security. Only Hungary and Bulgaria have not signed it, and it is no coincidence that we are welcoming Prime Minister Orban in a very strange visit at the invitation of the president, not the prime minister," the former defense minister pointed out.