site.btaUS Ambassador to NATO Expresses Appreciation to Bulgaria for Its Support for Ukraine

US Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith expressed appreciation to Bulgaria for its support for Ukraine. “We are grateful for what Bulgaria did for Ukraine,” she said on Friday during the Winning the Peace in Ukraine international conference at the Central Military Club in Sofia. The Sofia Security Forum organizes the conference with the assistance of the US Embassy in Bulgaria.

Smith noted that in light of the complex security environment, the US will continue to both support Ukraine and also provide assistance to Israel. She stressed that the US has not only the capacity but also the duty. 

“The conflict between Russia and Ukraine can be resolved through negotiations,” Smith said. “We are working in close cooperation with our friends in Ukraine, and they have outlined a ten-point peace plan. We support it, as do Bulgaria and other countries,” she added. 

According to her, Russia can establish peace as soon as today if it has the will. “Alas, there is no sign that Russia is willing to sit at the negotiating table even though Ukrainians say what peace in the region will mean,” Smith said. “We will support any international effort and countries that want to act as go-betweens,” she noted, adding that all of this is on the condition that Ukraine will be at the negotiating table and the process is focused on bringing Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

Smith pointed out that hybrid tactics are a key focus for NATO. “NATO used to be on the alert for conventional threats, now it is on the alert for the full spectrum of hybrid tactics. This is an alliance that looks confidently into the future and is prepared for it. Everything we do is to protect our people”, she added. 

Asked if NATO should respond more strongly to hybrid and cyber attacks, Smith said: “We are not passive. The alliance is responding very proactively to such attacks."