In response to the statements of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, contained in the documentary film "Russia. Kremlin. Putin. 25 years" and distributed in some media outlets, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria sent an official position to the media, in which it stated the following:
"The attempts of the Russian Federation to shift responsibility for the start of the illegal and unprovoked war in Ukraine onto other countries, including Bulgaria, are completely unacceptable and constitute a gross manipulation of the facts.
The accession of the Republic of Bulgaria to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a sovereign decision, based on the will of the Bulgarian citizens and legitimate democratic processes. This decision is dictated by Bulgaria's aspiration for lasting security, stability and peace in a regional context. The strengthening of the deterrent potential of the member states is aimed at the protection of the allied territory, is not a threat to any other country and is in full compliance with international law.
Bulgaria remains firmly committed to its allied obligations within NATO and to the principles of the European Union. We will continue to defend our sovereignty, security and democratic choice, as well as work to strengthen the rules-based international legal order.
The Romanian Foreign Ministry also responded to the Russian president's statement.
"Romania's accession to NATO represents the sovereign will of the citizens of Romania and of the allied countries. At the same time, Romania's membership in NATO does not pose a threat to anyone's security. This is concrete and demonstrable," said the spokesman for the diplomatic service, Andrei Cernea.
"President Putin is using the same familiar narratives that served as a pretext for the brutal war of annexation. The only country that threatens regional security in Europe is the Russian Federation through the illegal and unprovoked war, marked by numerous war crimes against civilian pollution in Ukraine and doubled by a Russian disinformation and propaganda campaign against the EU and NATO. "Romania will continue to defend its security interests with full sovereignty in its dual capacity as a NATO ally and an EU member state," Cernea said.
In a propaganda film broadcast by the Russian state television "Russia-1", Putin said: "So-called light American forward bases are appearing in Bulgaria and Romania, one in each country. And we have every right to ask ourselves openly: against whom is this expansion being carried out? This is the message I wanted to convey to our partners and colleagues, in the hope that they will hear us and correct their attitude towards Russia. But, unfortunately, they did not listen to us. That is, they heard, but did not react appropriately. Ultimately, this led to today's tragic events in Ukraine."