site.btaUS Ambassador to Bulgaria Merten Says Russian President Putin Has No Desire to Negotiate, Wants to Continue Aggression in Ukraine

US Ambassador to Bulgaria Kenneth Merten said Tuesday that the Kremlin could stop the war in Ukraine as soon as tomorrow if it wishes, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has no desire to negotiate and wants to continue the aggression. Merten took part in а round table on building institutional resilience against malign foreign influence in Sofia. The forum was organized by the Center for the Study of Democracy.

The fact that Russia shows no sign of stopping the aggression means that Ukraine will continue to need US' and Europe's support, the US Ambassador noted. He added that the Bulgarian partners of the United States understand perfectly well how important it is to continue to stand united and support Ukraine.

Merten argued that due to the cooperation between the US, the Bulgarian government and other partners such as the Center for the Study of Democracy, Russia realized that Bulgaria is no longer an easy target.

The Ambassador underlined Bulgaria's participation in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace plan through engagement in the energy sector.