A key element for Europe's security is winning the war against Russia by Ukraine, because without that we will all be much more threatened by Russian hybrid, but also any other aggression. This was said by Ivan Kostov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria (1997 – 2001) in his speech at the opening of the National Scientific Conference on the topic of “The Freedom of Ukraine“, which is being held in Sofia. The conference is organized by the Center for the Study of European Values, Department of “New Bulgarian Studies“, with the assistance of the Union of Reserve Officers “ATLANTIC“.
Kostov raised the question of whether the European Union can guarantee its own security, not to depend, or at least to such an extent, on the American armed forces on the territory of Europe. In his words, we cannot think of the United States as in the last 20-30 years, and noted that China is standing against them, which is diverting a lot of effort, attention and political activity.
The former Prime Minister also spoke about the risks facing Ukraine, stating that the risk of stopping or reducing aid to Ukraine requires a systematic approach and managing this risk is not a one-time act. According to Kostov, the war between Russia and Ukraine will not end quickly – “there is no way, given the positions that we see of the countries participating in it“.
Former MEP Alexander Yordanov also took part in the conference, commenting on what happened in the Ukrainian city of Sumy and saying that this tragedy is a continuation of the great tragedy that has been going on for 11 years, as long as Russia's war against Ukraine continues. “The topic of freedom for Ukraine is the topic of freedom for all of us. Without freedom for Ukraine, there is no freedom for humanity“, Yordanov also said. According to him, it is necessary to apply a united military force of the democratic world against Russia. He added that this will not lead to a world war, because those who rule in the Kremlin are “cowards”.