Bulgaria refuses to sign memorandum for Ukraine to join NATO

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Bulgarian President Rumen Radev refused on Monday to sign the full text of the memorandum of nine Eastern European countries over the provision of support for Ukraine's accession to NATO.

A statement from the press office of the Bulgarian President, published by the BTA news agency, read that "Rumen Radev does not agree with the full text of the memorandum adopted by some Eastern European countries regarding Ukraine's membership in NATO. The President supports the other provisions contained in the document."

The statement further noted Bulgaria's agreement in 2008 to Ukraine's future accession to NATO, but indicated that the current memorandum "happened in a completely different security environment," the statement noted.

The President, however, reaffirmed Bulgaria's "support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

According to Radev, the decision regarding Ukraine's accession to NATO should "be made only after Russia and Ukraine, as parties to the conflict, have developed, adopted and implemented clear criteria for a peaceful settlement."

On Sunday, the document was signed by the presidents of Romania, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, and Slovakia.

It is noteworthy that Bulgaria's positions are clear regarding the crisis in Ukraine, as Bulgarian Energy Minister Rozhin Hristov said, previously, that Bulgaria is "ready to resume contacts with the Russian gas company Gazprom regarding natural gas supplies."

In early August, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian company Bulgar Gas, Ivan Topchisky, indicated that the company was continuing its negotiations with Gazprom.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Kirill Petkov announced, earlier, that his country "has obtained a temporary exemption from the European embargo on Russian oil imports until the end of 2024."

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