Bulgaria's foreign minister: Black Sea drone strikes not an attack on Bulgaria

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova said on Saturday that drone attacks on two merchant ships in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone marked an escalation and a spread of the war in Ukraine into the Black Sea, raising the risk for her country. Speaking on BNT's "Govori sega" program, she said that since neither Bulgarian territory nor territorial waters were hit, the strikes could not be called an attack on Bulgaria.

Allies have expressed solidarity, and contacts continue through intelligence and diplomatic channels, she said, adding that EU foreign ministers could discuss the issue on Monday. Asked about NATO's Article 4, Petrova said the necessary consultations took place in the days after the attacks, whether or not the procedure was formally triggered. Her ministry has received no evidence from Ukraine that the drones were Russian, she said.

Petrova said the Foreign Ministry was not involved in organizing the visit to Sofia by Kyrylo Budanov, chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and that questions should go to Prime Minister Rumen Radev. What matters, she said, is that there is dialogue. She also said a team of doctors from Sofia would travel to North Macedonia in the coming days to examine Iva Mihaylova.