site.btaUPDATED Bulgarian Government, Party Leaders React to Trump-Zelenskyy Meeting

Friday's meeting at the White House between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy caused reactions by the Bulgarian Government and parliamentary groups. The majority expressed their positions on social media. President Rumen Radev commented on the issue as well.

Following are the reactions of the Cabinet and parliamentary parties on Saturday.

In a statement on X, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said: "Ukraine, be brave, be strong. We stand by you." Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev also stated his support : "Ukraine, be brave, be strong! We are all by your side."

GERB leader Boyko Borissov said in a Facebook post: "Any attempt to divide Europe weakens us." He stressed the need of an EU response "not because of the influence, but because of our founding principles". In his view, "this can only happen with an immediate summit between the US, EU countries and allies, where all points of view are frankly put on the table. A summit for an open and honest discussion about what comes next."

The Continue the Change party issued a statement declaring "full support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people, who, in the most difficult times, are not only defending their national interest against the aggressor but continue to fight for freedom and peace across Europe". Ukraine's efforts for peace are efforts for the peace of the entire continent, Continue the Change said.

Atanas Atanasov, leader of Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, part of the Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria coalition, wrote on Facebook that a fast consolidation of the EU leaders is needed to ensure powerful support for Ukraine. "Europe is worrying, especially Eastern Europe. And here Bulgaria, the Bulgarian government, the Bulgarian institutions need to develop a firm position - on which side do we stand," Atanasov wrote. "We have heard the personal position of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, but where is that of the Council of Ministers, which according to the Constitution is responsible for the country's national security?" Atanasov asked. "Our coalition was the only one that expressed its support for Ukraine in a categorical way," he added.

The Yes, Bulgaria! movement, part of the Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria coalition, wrote on Facebook that there is no doubt that all efforts must be directed towards establishing a just and lasting peace. "The Bulgarian national interest requires blocking Russia's attempts to impose its dominance in the region and resolutely pushing back any attempts at a policy of dividing Europe into spheres of influence," the Facebook post reads further. According to the movement, Bulgaria should actively participate in common European actions to support the efforts of Ukraine and President Zelenskyy to repel Russian aggression and achieve a just and lasting peace based on the principles of international law. Europe faces the challenge of uniting around a common policy of defending European sovereignty and independence, or forming a "grey zone of countries" that willingly accept Russian domination, Yes, Bulgaria's position reads. The formation also said that Bulgaria should in no case allow itself to fall into the second group, and called on the Government to actively engage as a stakeholder in all European efforts and in no way weaken support for Ukraine.

In a statement to the media, the Vazrazhdane party said it supports US President Donald Trump in his strive to restore world peace. "We express our full support for President Trump, who did not allow peace to be held hostage by the disrespectful behavior of a president who sacrificed his people to serve the interests of liberal elites in their war with Russia," Vazrazhdane's statement reads. "For several years now, the whole of Europe has been standing by and watching how a nation that is fraternal to us Bulgarians, is being used for the West's fight against another nation that is fraternal to us," the party said. "Millions of Ukrainians were forced to flee their homeland or were sent to the front, some of them never returned. Millions of Russians for 12 years have been victims of the Ukro-Nazi regime, whose icon after Bandera will obviously be Zelenskyy as well," Vazrazhdane stated.

MRF-New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski said that "now more than ever, the world needs peace. And all political leaders must have the courage to defend it, just like the US President did". "Europe, with its traditions and values, will always be the mother of civilization, but peace is a responsibility of nation-states, which must uphold the protection and security of their people," Peevski said. He then commented that what he called a "false export of democracy" was a front for oligarchic circles and families, Soros-affiliated structures and networks, and vast resources allocated at the expense of lives. MRF-New Beginning views a strong state, a staunch family and faith as the things which can strengthen and bring prosperity to Bulgaria, Peevski said, adding that the party would work towards this goal. According to him, the defence of national sovereignty, the protection of people and a clear direction for the future are the pillars on which Bulgaria must be rebuilt as a modern and prosperous country.

In a press release, Bulgarian MEP Elena Yoncheva (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) is quoted as saying that what happened at the White House on Friday was a short retelling of a European tragedy and the reasons for it. The USA is trying to restore the dialogue and is listing the reasons for the conflict in Ukraine, Yoncheva said. For three years, Europe accepted a totalitarian way of waging information warfare that has nothing to do with democracy, Yoncheva argued. "We lived in an info-bubble in which not even a discussion was allowed about what led to this war. Could it have been avoided? Could Europe have stopped it? And why didn't Europe do it? That is why the words of US Vice President JD Vance in Munich two weeks ago, the words of President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday caused such a shock," she noted. "We've gone further - trying to make peace is now seen as a crime," she added. "If the US wants and can get us out of this European sinking, at least let us not stand in their way," she went on to say. In her words, stopping the war in Ukraine is the only pro-European position. This can be done with compromise on both sides. But leadership is needed and, unfortunately, European leaders, with few exceptions, are not showing it. According to Yoncheva, Bulgaria should always be on the side of peace. "In Europe, a group of countries that are on the side of peace is already taking shape. There is a proposal on the table to end the war. There is a leader. I think the path is clear," the MEP said.

At a BTA-hosted news conference, ABV leader Rumen Petkov said his formation will insist at a meeting of the political council of BSP - United Left, and its appeal to the Bulgarian government is, to take a clear stance towards actions that ensure peace in Ukraine. ABV is one of the formations within BSP - United Left. "We no longer have a united Europe and European Union, which have peace and diplomacy and finding conflict-free solutions as their core values," Petkov said. In his words, Europe has found itself without defences because of this "insane" leadership of the European Commission. According to Petkov, what happened in the White House is unprecedented, but clearly shows the two approaches - seeking peace with a deal in favour of the US, and demanding war. "We have to be aware of the already changed world and what is the role of Bulgaria and Europe in this world," the ABV leader said, adding that this behaviour of the European institutions makes the European Union a useless interlocutor. "Is China turning to us for talks, is India turning to us for talks, Russia, the US?" he asked rhetorically. "We should draw our conclusions and the Bulgarian government should take a position for a diplomatic solution - a peaceful settlement of the conflict," Petkov said. 

There Is Such a People (TISP) leader Slavi Trifonov wrote in a Facebook post that there is a war being fought 400 kilometres away from Bulgaria, and it has to stop. The efforts of all the people who have the ability to influence this should be aimed at stopping the war in Ukraine, he said. "It is very easy to shout at Ukraine from the sidelines: 'Go! We are with you.' On the other hand, we will never send Bulgarian soldiers to Ukraine," Trifonov said, adding that it is lowly behaviour to be hypocritical in a situation where so many people are dying. "The reality is already different and, from all the speeches I saw today, the real, practical, godly and national opinion is that of President Rumen Radev. Without hypocrisy, consistently and like a warrior who knows what it is to risk your life on a daily basis, President Radev expresses the position I share," Trifonov said. According to him, Friday's conversation in the White House has made the whole world ask questions and all politicians, who are seriously responsible for their decisions, wonder what position to take. "Sorry for the cliché, but after last night, the world may not be the same. Even, to be precise, it hasn't been the same since Trump was re-elected, but maybe some people only realised it last night," the TISP leader also wrote.

Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh) leader Radostin Vasilev wrote on his Facebook page that the war in Ukraine will stop and Bulgaria will again be in a losing position because of the ruling caste. "I am a Trumpist, and I predicted Donald Trump's victory," Vasilev wrote.

On Sunday, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) too issued a position on the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting. In a press release, the party said that there is no alternative to achieving peace in Ukraine through negotiations. "Our efforts as a society, State and political leadership must be directed towards peace," the party said, adding that this war "pits two European and Christian nations against each other and is fraught with enormous risk for the Old Continent." "Today, the issue of peace is on the table in a clear way, and we in the BSP support this. Obviously, the road to peace will be much longer and more difficult than we would like. And it goes through Europe. We believe that the leadership potential of old Europe, based on values, reason, and historical wisdom, must be awakened and used as a counterpoint to the extremes of all sides in the conflict. Let us not forget unity, the main pillar of the Union, which we must reaffirm today," the BSP said further. According to the party, Ukraine needs the impartiality and the strength of reason that Europe can give it in order to emerge from the conflict with dignity. "Adding fuel to the fire and polarisation are tools that will lead to the opposite. We must not allow military financial funds to swallow up the education, health and social responsibilities of European countries," the BSP believes. The party is "convinced that Europe will once again have a historic chance to become a union of equal states, a cultural space for mutual assistance and cooperation."