President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Prime Minister of Bulgaria Nikolai Denkov, who is on a visit to Ukraine.
Welcoming the Prime Minister of Bulgaria to Ukraine, the Head of State expressed gratitude to his country for supporting our people, state and the principle of independence of nations in Europe in the time of full-scale Russian aggression.
"We greatly appreciate the fact that Bulgaria is with us and with the entire united Europe," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with media representatives following the negotiations in Kyiv.
The President emphasized that Russia's occupation of Ukrainian Crimea had turned the peninsula and the entire Black Sea region into one of the most dangerous zones in the world. However, thanks to Ukrainian warriors and cooperation with partners, security is gradually being restored in the Black Sea.
"The time will definitely come when we will return security to Crimea – to all our people there," the Head of State emphasized.
The President thanked the Prime Minister of Bulgaria for productive negotiations and for the implementation of their agreements.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed Nikolai Denkov about the situation at the front, the key needs, priorities and capabilities of the Defense Forces.
"Ukraine appreciates every manifestation of security and political support for our defense. I would like to thank Bulgaria for supporting our efforts in the Black Sea and the Danube region to expand trade flows and restore normal navigation. It is extremely important that we manage to ensure normal economic relations even in such a difficult time despite all the challenges," the Head of State noted.
"We have agreed with Bulgaria to step up the development of logistics and infrastructure in our region. Our mutual respect for the principle of good neighborliness will contribute to the economic growth of both our countries," the President of Ukraine said.
The parties also discussed cooperation in energy and defense production. In addition, Ukraine and Bulgaria are interested in developing co-production.
Answering journalists' questions, Volodymyr Zelenskyy clarified that Ukraine has a great interest in joint arms production with Bulgaria and other countries.
"This will be a high-quality cooperation, as Bulgaria will get jobs and money into the economy, and we will cover the deficit positions for Ukraine. We are talking not only about the time of war, but also about the time after the war, as both our countries, both defense industries are interested in this," the Head of State explained.
According to the President, Ukraine's unchanged priority is and will be the most pragmatic interaction with Bulgaria in political issues, as well as in matters of justice.
"We appreciate Bulgaria's support for absolutely fair pressure on Russia for this war, namely sanctions and efforts to confiscate the assets of the terrorist state. Today we paid considerable attention to Russia's liability for the war and terror. And it is important that Bulgaria is already helping to establish the full truth about Russian war criminals and is ready to join the work on bringing Russia to justice for the core, primary crime of aggression that gave rise to all other Russian crimes of this war," the Head of State noted.
The President emphasized that he appreciates Bulgaria's support for Ukraine's movement towards the European and Euro-Atlantic communities
The parties also discussed the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula.
"This year, we are preparing the first summit – the Global Peace Summit, and I would appreciate Bulgaria's active role in this summit and support for our proposals at the level of the Prime Minister," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
For his part, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov emphasized that Russia's full-scale aggression in Ukraine is a war against Europe and the entire democratic world.
"The ambitions of Russian aggression are a direct threat to Bulgaria's national security. Therefore, supporting Ukraine means protecting ourselves," Nikolai Denkov is convinced.
He noted that the government and the parliamentary majority in Bulgaria are working on providing diplomatic, military, and material assistance to Ukraine.
According to Nikolai Denkov, Bulgaria is ready to take an active part in the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. He emphasized the importance of a special international tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister also presented Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a replica of Khan Kubrat's sword.
"There are two different symbols on the sword. One is 'Destiny is won by the sword.' And the other is 'In order to succeed, you must be united,'" he said. The President thanked for the gift.
"When we are presented gifts in other countries or given orders, I always say: 'We are very, very grateful, but can we have air defense?'" Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.
