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Radev: Our European Future Depends on the Ability to Maintain and Develop the EU as a Guarantor of Security, Stability and Prosperity

NATO must not allow itself to be drawn into the war between Russia and Ukraine, because this would lead to a global conflict with devastating consequences, the head of state said in his statement at the round table of The Economist in Athens

Europe's future depends on the ability to maintain and develop the role of the European Union as a guarantor of the security, stability and prosperity of European citizens and neighbouring regions, to strengthen our security and defence and to develop a clear strategy to return peace to Europe. This was stated by President Rumen Radev today at the opening of the 28th annual round table of The Economist in Athens. The international forum gathers HoSG from Greece and the region, representatives of institutions, business, international organisations and academia, this year focusing on the prospects for overcoming the challenges facing the world as a result of worsening geopolitical conflicts, climate change and imbalances in the global economy.

In his speech at the forum, President Radev highlighted the challenges facing Europe in the wake of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Every day of the conflict leads to an increase in the risk to world peace, the head of state pointed out and added that it has already turned into a war of attrition, a global economic clash that is draining our economic and social systems, fuelling political instability and populism in the EU and tests European defence architecture, industry, unity and solidarity. Therefore, from the first day of this war, Bulgaria strongly condemned Russia's aggression and is part of the EU's efforts to provide support to Ukraine, including the country's ambitions for full membership in the union, the head of state pointed out.

According to Radev, the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine covers many sensitive topics, but in order for the EU to achieve its goals, it must not avoid answering difficult questions. The war presents us with many challenges, including for our critical thinking, the ability to deeply analyse and evaluate all strategic and operational aspects and risks, the head of state noted. According to the president, this has also made it difficult to define achievable political goals and unify them in a strategy. "The war challenged our ability to determine the desired end result, what 'victory' means, as well as to develop a strategy using all available tools - military, economic and diplomatic," emphasized Rumen Radev.

We have all seen examples of strategic misjudgements in this war, the president said, highlighting Russia's underestimation of Ukraine's desire to assert its independence and sovereignty, as well as the inability of the Russian General Staff to translate political goals such as "de-Nazification" and "demilitarisation" in an applicable military strategy during the first stage of the war. The assessments of the sustainability and capacity of the Russian economy and military industry have also proven to be wrong. We remember the analyses of many leading experts and politicians that as a result of the heavy sanctions, the Russian economy will collapse in a few months and even that the Russian Federation will collapse. None of this happened, the head of state said. The President reminded that the average growth of the economy in the EU is lower than the one announced in Russia - 3.6%, and the country produces more shells and military equipment than the United Europe. As another example, the president singled out the encouragement of the Ukrainian military leadership by a number of allied experts and leaders, which led to the underestimation of basic principles of operational art, which requires certain conditions such as superiority in manpower, equipment and air superiority to carry out any offensive operations. This has resulted in many casualties and material losses in the long-advertised Ukrainian counter-offensive, and Russia has won the initiative. "It is obvious that we need to rethink the approach followed to this war and return to diplomacy and negotiations as soon as possible," the head of state emphasised.

Rumen Radev called on Europe to upgrade its concept of strategic autonomy, which has developed actively in the last few years under the pressure of challenges in the security sphere. According to the President, European strategic autonomy requires strengthening, above all, the competitiveness of the EU by strengthening the industrial potential in accordance with the green and digital transition, ensuring the security of supplies of critical raw materials and the autonomous production of affordable and clean energy, stimulating innovation and technologies and development of artificial intelligence. Rumen Radev also emphasized the need for further development of transport, digital and energy connectivity between European countries and emphasized the defence industry and overcoming fragmentation in relation to the defence industry.

During the discussion in response to a question from the executive editor of The Economist Daniel Franklin on Ukraine's membership in NATO, the president emphasized that all allies have reaffirmed their commitment to support its accession to the Alliance. According to Rumen Radev, the question is not "if", but "when" this will happen, and the answer depends on the development of the war and the possibility of achieving a sustainable and just peace. The head of state reminded that the strategic aspect of Russia's war in Ukraine is not weapons and ammunition, but people, their training, equipment and motivation, as well as numbers, the analysis of which shows an advantage for Russia. If the dynamics of this war continue without any changes, we may face a situation where there are no more people in Ukraine to defend it, nor to have the opportunity to push Russia back to its borders since 1991, Rumen Radev pointed out. He emphasised that he understands the concern of some leaders that if Ukraine is not supported with everything, including soldiers, we sacrifice our values and international law and agree that territories can be taken by force in the 21st century. On the other hand, Rumen pointed out Radev, we must be aware that NATO must not allow itself to be drawn into the war. This is vital because any direct confrontation between NATO and Russia could lead to a global nuclear collision with devastating consequences, the Bulgarian president added. According to the head of state, in order to avoid this scenario, we must return to the field of diplomacy and negotiations as soon as possible, including all strategic participants in this process. The President reminded that our country has expressed its support for the Peace Meeting in Switzerland as the first important step in the right direction, which changes the focus from "victory at any cost" to achieving peace.

In response to a question about the partial accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen, President Radev pointed out that leaving the two countries outside the Schengen area does not contribute to the stability and prosperity of Europe, nor to military mobility, which is of key importance in times of crises and war. The President also reminded that our country fulfilled all the technical criteria for joining Schengen already 13 years ago, and the constant presentation of new requirements, serving someone's internal political interests, undermines the legal framework of the EU and the decision-making procedure. Working with our partners, we have invested a lot to compensate for the consequences of this and to improve our connectivity, the president added, highlighting the strategic relations between Bulgaria and Greece.