site.btaRadev: We Need Strategy to Halt Russia's War against Ukraine and to Win Peace after That

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev attended an Extraordinary Summit of NATO's Bucharest Nine (B9) in Warsaw on Wednesday.

The Summit brought together the leaders of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Czechia and Poland with US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"What we need is not only a comprehensive strategy on halting Russia's war against Ukraine but also on winning the peace after that. The focus should be placed on achieving a rational balance between military, economic and diplomatic instruments," the Bulgarian head of State said at the meeting.

Radev stressed that Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine aggravates the threat to peace, security and stability of both this particular region and of Europe at large. "For more than a year now, the conflict has put to a test the social and economic system of the European states and necessiates looking for new secure routes for the delivery of energy and other resources to tackle the crisis. Another key aspect is how Europe will look after the cessation of hostilities, including the new security architecture that will affect our future," the President pointed out.

"Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty safeguards the security of NATO member countries, but the deteriorated security environment requires tangible action to strength the separate countries' national defence capacity so that it could contribute to common security," Radev said further. He pointed out that Bulgaria is providing support to Ukraine within its capabilities and will continue to back international efforts in pursuit of a sustainable solution to the war in Ukraine.

At the meeting, the B9 countries adopted a joint statement.