Bulgarian President Radev: Ukraine's victory over Russia "impossible"

Euractiv reported this.

When asked about the implications of the attempt on Fico for Europe, President Radev shifted the focus to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"It is unacceptable to present the continuation of the war and the impossible victory over Russia as the only possible solution," Radev said and added that “it is extremely dangerous for passions between Russia and Ukraine to flare up in Europe.”

Radev noted that the ongoing war "inevitably" influences elections worldwide, including Europe and the U.S.

"We will choose in this and the next election between war and peace. Every citizen is obliged to understand this," he stated.

He argued that if the war persists, Ukraine will become a "demographically devastated country, with completely destroyed infrastructure, industry, production, and this will have extremely serious consequences not only for Ukraine but also for the whole of Europe."

Radev called for political efforts for peace rather than providing weapons.

"With weapons, without weapons – we are going to a similar outcome. We have to realize that. The difference will be thousands of human casualties and a devastated country (Ukraine) for which recovery we will have to pay," he added.

• In July 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Radev for claiming that weapons would not help end the war against Russia.