Zelenskyy wins support for Ukraine's NATO accession, Peace and Energy Formula in Bulgaria

Zelenskyy wrote about this on Telegram.

"Sofia. Bulgaria. I will hold in-depth talks with Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, meet with President Rumen Radev, government officials, parliamentarians, politicians, and journalists," the Ukrainian leader wrote.

During the meeting in the country's capital, they will discuss defense support, Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration, the NATO summit, security guarantees, and the implementation of the Peace Formula.

Zelenskyy’s government plane landed in Sofia on at 12:04 p.m.

"I met with Mr. Nikolai Denkov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The main focus of our talks, of course, is the security of our countries and our entire Europe, defense support and defense cooperation. The fundamental priority is energy and strengthening our unity in Europe," the President of Ukraine added later.

In Bulgaria, Zelenskyy signs declaration on Ukraine's NATO membership

Ukraine and Bulgaria have signed a joint declaration, the 22nd document to support Ukraine's NATO membership, deputy head of the Presidential Administration Ihor Zhovkva posted on Facebook.

The document clearly states that Bulgaria supports Ukraine's membership in NATO as soon as conditions allow.

The joint declaration states that Bulgaria recognizes that Ukraine's membership in NATO is the only way to ensure a sufficient level of security for both Ukraine and the entire Euro-Atlantic family.

"The Bulgarian side welcomes Ukraine's significant achievements in progressing towards Euro-Atlantic integration, in particular in achieving interoperability with NATO, reaffirms its intention to increase joint efforts to support Ukraine's integration into the Alliance and implementation of NATO standards, and fully supports the NATO-Ukraine Council," the document says.

The declaration also reportedly reaffirms Bulgaria's readiness to continue to provide political and material support to Ukraine, both from the Alliance and bilaterally, for as long as necessary.

"Together with international organizations, allies and partners, Bulgaria reaffirms its readiness to participate in the post-war recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine," the document summarizes. 

Bulgarian parliament supports Ukraine's NATO membership and the Ukrainian Peace Formula

The Bulgarian National Assembly on Thursday, during the visit of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, voted in favor of a declaration of support for Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Alliance after the war, BNT reports.

A total of 157 Bulgarian MPs voted in favor of the declaration of support for Ukraine's membership in the Alliance, while 57 MPs representing the pro-Russian Renaissance Party and the Bulgarian Socialist Party voted against it.

The document demands that Russia fully and voluntarily withdraw from Ukraine to restore peace in Ukraine, immediately stop nuclear blackmail and all actions that contradict the UN Charter.

The Bulgarian parliament also supports Ukraine's Peace Formula, which aims to achieve a lasting and just peace and to provide political, financial, humanitarian, military and technical support to Ukraine until it fully restores its sovereignty within internationally recognized borders.

Bulgarian parliamentarians reaffirmed their full support for NATO's open door policy and expressed their expectation that the government would support Ukraine's membership in NATO at the Alliance's summit in Vilnius in July, "as soon as peace is restored on its territory."

"The parliament supports the beginning of the process of planning and adopting specific parameters and timeframes for Ukraine's membership in the Alliance and the expansion of strategic relations," the declaration says.

Ministers sign Memorandum of Cooperation in the Energy Sector

According to the Presidential Office's website, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Energy of Ukraine and the Republic of Bulgaria on cooperation in the energy sector was signed during Zelenskyy's official visit to Bulgaria.

The document was signed by Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and Bulgarian Energy Minister Rumen Radev.

The parties pledged to ensure affordable energy, support industrial and regional development, the security and well-being of their peoples, expand cooperation and a common commitment to protecting the environment and mitigating climate change, and reducing carbon emissions.

The parties also agreed to intensify further mutually beneficial cooperation in the areas of nuclear energy, green energy, hydrogen, energy storage systems and smart grids.

Priorities in cooperation also include the exchange of knowledge and experience in protecting energy infrastructure from physical, electromagnetic and cyber threats.

Ukraine's path to NATO membership:

Ukraine hopes to receive clear decisions on joining the Alliance in July during the NATO meeting in Vilnius. On May 23, Ukraine's ambassador to NATO, Natalia Galibarenko, mentioned that Ukraine is preparing two cooperation packages (political and practical), which will be presented for discussion during the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius. 

On May 30, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba outlined three key points that define Ukraine's vision for a successful outcome at the NATO summit in Vilnius. "Strengthen Ukraine-NATO institutional ties and assistance. Take a step toward UA membership. Provide security guarantees on Ukraine’s path to NATO." 

On June 10, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, Volodymyr Havrylov, expressed his belief that the July NATO summit in Vilnius  will set the algorithm for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Ukraine will become a NATO member in the future, but due to the ongoing war, specific dates for accession cannot be determined. However, he is confident that during the Vilnius summit, the member countries will work towards finding a solution regarding Ukraine's progress.

On June 15, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for Ukraine's membership in NATO with 425 votes in favor. 

On June 16, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on NATO chief Stoltenberg to drop the Membership Action Plan (MAP) if Ukraine joins NATO.

US President Joe Biden expressed support for removing the MAP stage, making the joining process simpler for Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine's role in Europe's defense and called on allies to invite the country to NATO.

James Cleverly, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the UK, assured support for Ukraine's simplified entry into NATO.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine has valid reasons to receive a political invitation to NATO at the Vilnius summit.

On June 28, during a speech in parliament on Constitution Day, President Zelenskyy proposed 5 points of the Ukrainian Doctrine, which stipulates that Ukraine's future lies in the EU and NATO, for discussion.

On June 30, US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said that NATO member states are close to a consensus on Ukraine's accession to NATO without the MAP.

On July 4, the Foreign Policy Committee of the Bulgarian parliament approved a draft declaration by a group of coalition parties expressing support for Ukraine's accession to NATO after the war.