There is nothing in the country’s position, approved by the Council of Ministers for the NATO summit in Washington that infringes on our national interest or jeopardizes national security, said Deputy Defence Minister Radostin Iliev in a comment on President Rumen Radev’s refusal to lead the Bulgarian delegation to the Washington summit with the motive that he does not agree with “certain provisions of the framework positions adopted by the Council of Ministers on Sofia's commitments regarding the war in Ukraine”.

• President Radev refuses to lead Bulgarian delegation to NATO summit

Deputy Minister Iliev stressed that this country’s position is aligned with that of NATO, and that the proposal for the president to lead the delegation was made in his capacity of commander-in-chief and head of state. In connection with the official position expressed by President Rumen Radev regarding the NATO summit, the Ministry of Defence states that the endorsed decision with positions for the summit is a regular, official, established procedure in recent years for adopting a mandate for upholding the national interest and participation on the items on the agenda of a forum of this type, Radostin Iliev said. In the position approved, the support for Ukraine, in accordance with the National Assembly’s decisions, is unwavering and will continue for as long as it is needed.