Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the aggression against civilian ships in the Black Sea and called on the EU to take a position on the sale of the Lukoil refinery in Burgas. Mr Radev is in Brussels for an EU summit.
This unacceptable aggression against civilian ships must stop, he declared as he arrived for the meeting. The Black Sea is more than just a security zone. It is a vital strategic corridor for supplies of food, fertilisers and energy resources, and millions of people depend on these supplies, he stressed.
Radev said he did not support strikes on refineries, including Russian strikes on those in Ukraine, because the repercussions reach Bulgaria too, pushing up fuel prices.
Over the past two decades, Europe has closed a number of its refineries and is now heavily dependent and already seeking supplies of refined fuels – diesel and especially aviation fuel. So we see Lukoil as a very important asset not only for Bulgaria but for the EU as a whole. But note that Lukoil’s fate is being decided outside the EU, outside Bulgaria. That is why I have called on the EU leadership, and we are seeking support from our other partners, to take a position on this issue, because Lukoil’s future is important for Europe,” Radev added.
He also noted that no bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was scheduled and stressed that Bulgaria joining the “Coalition of the Willing”, which supports Kyiv, was not on the agenda, BNR’s Brussels correspondent Angelina Piskova reports.
Editor: Ivo Ivanov