Bulgaria’s ambassador to Ukraine Kostadin Kodzhabashev has been summoned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry over President Rumen Radev’s words regarding the Crimean Peninsula during the TV debate with the other presidential candidate Anastas Gerdzhikov. 

Asked by Anastas Gerdzhikov who Crimea belongs to, Rumen Radev said “Crimea is Russian.” The Ukrainian side states that it considers Rumen Radev’s words to be “incorrect and unacceptable”.

• Debate between presidential candidates Radev and Gerdzhikov lasts for nearly one and a half hours

“The words of the current Bulgarian president do not contribute to the development of good neighborly relations between Ukraine and Bulgaria and are sharply dissonant with Sofia's official position on supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders,” the statement reads. The authorities in Kiev expect the Bulgarian President to retract his words.

On his part Peter Stano, EU Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy stated that from the point of view of the EU and its 27 members, Crimea is Ukrainian territory.