Former Prime Minister of Bulgaria and leader of the GERB party Boyko Borisov no longer supports the idea of a security agreement with Ukraine — he is waiting for peace.
Euractiv writes about this.
The day before, Bulgariaʼs interim Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev asked parliament to decide whether to sign a security agreement with Ukraine. He promised to sign it in October 2024, and it was expected to be done on December 19 in Brussels during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
However, Borisov, who previously supported the idea, has now spoken out against it. This is important because GERB has the most seats in the Bulgarian parliament.
Since the beginning of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, GERB has supported the provision of military aid to Ukraine, and Borisov himself has often emphasized this support as evidence of his partyʼs pro-Western position.
But, according to Borisov, the situation has now changed.
"Six months ago, we would have categorically supported such an agreement," Borisov said, adding that today such support is tantamount to "buying the September 9 plant."
Borisov explained that the reason is the intensifying discussion in Europe and the US about achieving peace in Ukraine. He added that Bulgaria will work to restore and establish a peace process in Ukraine, but stressed that it should be a regular government that will sign a "mutually beneficial agreement."
Borisov did not explain why he saw no mutual benefit in the proposed deal. Asked how a normal government, which includes the socialist BSP party, could sign a military cooperation agreement with Ukraine:
“If the agreement is mutually beneficial, neither side will object,” Borisov said. Although the BSP has consistently opposed any military assistance to Ukraine.
Glavchev himself rejected accusations that he had sought a mandate from the National Assembly to sabotage government negotiations. He said that the only reason he had asked the deputies for approval was to propose a 10-year duration for the agreement.
- Currently, only six of the 27 EU member states — Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Malta, and Cyprus — have not signed a security agreement with Ukraine.
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