Russian Ambassador Mitrofanova Holds Meeting at Foreign Ministry.

No official statement was issued on the matter.

This became clear from comments by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova during a briefing after her meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Petrova clarified that she did not personally meet the ambassador and that the meeting took place at director-general level.

The government has a unified position to use all available European mechanisms to achieve lasting peace. Bulgaria has made clear it will take positions reflecting the real situation. Communication from Ukraine is aimed at seeking a peaceful solution and high-level dialogue, Petrova added.

Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said Bulgaria has received compensation for military assistance provided to Ukraine. Under different mechanisms, these amount to around 3 million under one scheme and just over200 million under another. Asked whether Bulgaria coordinated its assistance decisions with partners, Petrova said this is a sovereign decision based on national capacity and Bulgaria is not obliged to report to other countries.

Mitrofanova’s visit to the Foreign Ministry coincided with an interview she gave to TASS. According to her, the new Bulgarian government has so far only verbally expressed willingness to improve bilateral relations with Russia. Petrova also announced that Bulgaria will hold a technical meeting with the United States next week on establishing a visa-free regime between the two countries.