Bulgarian support for Ukraine has been crucial since 2014. My strong recommendation to Bulgaria and to our NATO partners is 'let us stop Putin in Ukraine'. Let us not have to stop him in other countries, whether in Bulgaria, Romania or Poland. Putin is a specially trained KGB liar and we should not trust him when he talks about peace talks.
This is what Petro Poroshenko, President of Ukraine /2014-2019/ told BGNES in an interview.
Today the Parliamentary Assembly /PA/ of NATO adopted a declaration of support for Ukraine until victory. This happened on the sidelines of the PA meeting in Sofia.
Poroshenko noted the great importance of today's decision.
"So far we have had messages and resolutions that the world, NATO and the EU will be with Ukraine as long as it is necessary. However, this is Putin's narrative because he has an interest in endless war to tire Europe. Today we have a very different resolution. This is happening for the first time in Sofia. We have a promise to 'stand with Ukraine until victory'. We want arms supplies, airspace closure, sanctions against Russia, financial support for Ukraine, just to make victory as quick as possible," the president said.
Petro Poroshenko pointed out Bulgaria's key role in supporting Ukraine.
"I would like to particularly say that Bulgaria's role is extremely important. Bulgaria has a unique military industry. Since 2014, we have been receiving with not much noise, with not much advertising, but we have been receiving the weapons we need like the air - artillery, shells, mortars, mines and many, many other things. That has played a very important role in our ability to fight. The new Ukrainian armed forces after 2014 surprised the world. Putin expected that he would win the war within three days, and now months have passed and we have stopped him," Poroshenko explained.
He pointed out that after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, he was asked, "Why don't you give Crimea to Putin and that will bring peace to the continent?"
"I answer "No!" because Putin does not need Crimea. The other question was, "Okay, Mr. President, why don't you give Putin Donbass... that would end the war?" Again, I answer "No" because Putin doesn't need Donbass. What is the evidence? He completely destroyed Donbass. If you see the picture today in Vuhledar, Bakhmut, Avdeyevka, Marinka, Lisichansk, Severodonetsk, Bucha, Irpin and other cities, you will see that there is no life on this territory. Putin wants to destroy Ukraine and therefore he does not even need Ukraine itself. Putin wants domination throughout Europe. This is the emperor's crazy idea," Poroshenko emphasized.
"Putin could say that Bulgaria was also part of the Russian Empire. The German city of Dresden is where he served and he thinks that many Germans in Dresden will welcome Russia. Just as he had expected that someone here would welcome him. Therefore, the only lesson we have to learn is that we have to be united, strong and determined. We must not allow Putin to frighten us and we must not trust him. My strong recommendation to Bulgaria and to our NATO partners is 'let us stop Putin in Ukraine'. Let's not have to stop him in other countries, no matter whether in Bulgaria, Romania, Poland," the President further said.
In response to a question by BGNES whether peace talks are possible, as the Russian president has indicated over the past week, Poroshenko said:
"When Putin says he is ready for peace talks, please don't trust him. Putin is a KGB officer specially trained to lie. I can confirm this from the five years of my presidency and intensive dialogue with Putin. Do not look at what he says, look at what he does. The day he said he was ready to negotiate, he attacked a shopping mall in Kharkov with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and guided bombs. There, 16 civilians, including children, were killed, 42 seriously injured and 10 are still missing. This is just one shocking moment in a Ukrainian city, with one Putin attack. This is the price Ukraine is paying for those who still think that maybe Putin will tell us something positive. No! Putin only understands the language of strength, and to negotiate effectively we need to be strong."
"Do you know who is the best peace negotiator with Putin? Who is the best diplomat? It is the armed forces of Ukraine. And we have to make them stronger. We need to improve their capabilities. We need to supply them with weapons and new technology, we need to impose sanctions on Russia to reduce Putin's ability to fund the war, we need to provide the financial resources, and we need to send them an invitation to join NATO. This is the best response to Putin if he wants to demonstrate peace," Petro Poroshenko emphasized. /BGNES
