Bulgaria's President with Fico: The Ukraine Conflict Has No Military Solution

Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova said the conflict in Ukraine has no military solution and must end as soon as possible, calling for diplomacy and negotiations and describing an end to the war as a responsibility shared by every European Union member state.

Yotova made the remarks during a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is visiting Bulgaria. Fico, in turn, praised Yotova and Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev for their emphasis on peace.

“There are very few politicians in the European Union who talk about peace as much as you and the Bulgarian Prime Minister,” Fico said.

Yotova received Fico in the Coat of Arms Hall at the Bulgarian presidency on Dondukov 2. The two leaders first held a one-on-one meeting before joining broader talks between the Bulgarian and Slovak delegations.

During the discussions, Yotova highlighted what she described as the strong development of relations between Bulgaria and Slovakia across a wide range of areas, as well as their constructive cooperation within the EU.

The two leaders also discussed the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework. Bulgaria and Slovakia share positions on the importance of cohesion policy and the Common Agricultural Policy, according to Yotova.

She said the two countries should strengthen their coordination within the Friends of Cohesion Group during negotiations over the next EU budget framework. Yotova warned that pressure from European institutions to approve the framework sooner, before unresolved issues are addressed, could create risks for the competitiveness of some member states.

“The desire of the European institutions to vote on it sooner, without clearing up problematic aspects of it, creates risks for the competitiveness of some countries,” Yotova said.

EU enlargement was another major topic during the meeting. Yotova and Fico agreed that accession should proceed according to established rules and be based on the progress and achievements of candidate countries.

The Bulgarian president specifically raised the issue of North Macedonia’s EU membership bid and asked for Slovakia’s support for Skopje to follow the European accession process.

“You know that we have certain problems with the Republic of North Macedonia and its membership in the EU. We are looking for your support for Skopje to follow the European accession policy. For four years, we have not seen progress in implementing the commitments undertaken by North Macedonia in 2022,” Yotova said.

The Bulgarian president also praised Slovakia for its support of the Bulgarian community in the country, including its cultural and educational institutions.

Yotova said this support was particularly important to Bulgaria as Slovakia prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Hristo Botev Bulgarian Secondary School in Bratislava. She also highlighted the work of Bulgarian language lecturers at leading Slovak universities as another area of educational cooperation between the two countries.

The talks reflected broader efforts by Bulgaria and Slovakia to coordinate their positions on European policies while maintaining close bilateral relations. Ukraine, EU finances, enlargement, cohesion policy and education were among the key issues discussed by Yotova and Fico.