Bulgarian PM on Russia’s ultimatums: They remind us of dark era of Soviet rule
Photo: Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov (plovdivnews.bg)
The ultimatums Russia has put forward to Ukraine to end the war are reminiscent of the dark era of Soviet rule, states Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov during his speech at the Ukraine–Southeast Europe summit.
Zhelyazkov noted that allies are appealing to the United States to strengthen its role in finding a way to end Russia’s war against Ukraine and expressed gratitude to the Turkish side for its attempts to act as a mediator in the negotiations.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister emphasized that there is no apparent willingness from the Russian side to offer real terms for a ceasefire, and that the conditions they put forward resemble those from the dark era of Soviet rule.
Russian ultimatums
On June 2, Ukraine and Russia held a second round of peace talks. During the meeting, both sides agreed to conduct another exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers.
Earlier, Russia had rejected a US-proposed idea to implement a ceasefire with Ukraine for at least 30 days without additional conditions.
During the second round of negotiations in Istanbul, Russia handed Ukraine a memorandum that effectively amounted to an ultimatum.
Specifically, the aggressor state demanded that Ukraine begin withdrawing its troops from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions as a precondition for a ceasefire.
At the same time, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stated that it is too early to speak of any preparations for a third round of talks with Russia. The lack of sufficient international pressure on Moscow continues to block political progress.
