Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

The Bucharest 9 will not have a common position on the war in Ukraine

Photo: BTA

Eight of the Bucharest 9 (B9) Heads of State from Central and Eastern Europe and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met in Riga to discuss eastern flank defence and the situation in Ukraine ahead of the NATO summit in Washington in July. The Hungarian president did not attend the meeting.

The Bucharest Nine is a group of central and eastern European NATO members, namely Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. It was established in 2015 in response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine in Crimea and Donbass.

Speaking ahead of the forum, President Rumen Radev stressed that Bulgaria was determined to develop its own defence capabilities and contribute to NATO's defence potential. However, he said that today's meeting would end without a joint statement due to a lack of consensus on the outcome of the war in Ukraine.

Photo: president.bg
According to the Bulgarian president, "everyone wants Ukraine to restore its territorial integrity and Russia to stop its aggression, but the reality is that Kiev has neither the financial nor the human resources to achieve these goals".



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

21 years since the tragedy in the River Lim in which 12 Bulgarian children lost their lives

It is 21 years today since the tragedy in the River Lim on the border between Serbia and Montenegro, in which 12 Bulgarian children were killed. On 4 April, 2004, a group of 34 students and 16 adults from Svishtov were returning home from a school..

published on 4/4/25 5:22 PM

Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia sign green energy cooperation pact

Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Baku on cooperation in the transmission and trade of green energy.  The document was inked by the energy ministers of Bulgaria and Azerbaijan, Zhecho Stankov and..

published on 4/4/25 4:34 PM
President Radev (R) and King Abdullah II

Aqaba Process summit in Sofia addresses terrorism, migration and radicalisation in the Balkans

The President of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, and the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, are hosting the Aqaba Process Summit, which focuses on the Balkans and brings together nearly 30 delegations. These delegations are led by Heads of State, government..

published on 4/4/25 3:53 PM