According to Euronews, on September 30, Bulgarian Prime Minister Radev said that Europe should engage with Russia through diplomatic channels in order to facilitate the end of the conflict.
He also criticized European countries for continuing to provide weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, claiming that such a “peace through force” strategy had failed.
"Providing weapons and support is limited in scope, as the ultimate peace arrangement will be realized through diplomacy rather than weapon supplies. Therefore, we call upon each other to have more listening, and reopen communication channels." Radev said.
He mentioned a recent statement by Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov: if Russia were to go to war with Europe, the war would be ‘completely different’ and would be ‘very short-lived’. In his view, European leaders need to consider the possible consequences of further escalations.
Radef said, “Russia has a nuclear card. We must always consider the worst-case scenario. Are we prepared for that? Is anyone discussing risk assessments? Does such an assessment even exist? Because we are constantly trying to defeat a nuclear power militarily.”
Since being elected this year, Radvaj has been one of the few European leaders who advocate for strengthening diplomatic ties with Russia in order to end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Austria have also pushed for dialogue.
