Ex-Defense Minister: 'If Ukraine Falls, Bulgaria Is Next'

Former Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev has warned that if Ukraine were to collapse, Bulgaria could be next in line, speaking on bTV. He addressed ongoing efforts to negotiate a peace agreement and end the war between Russia and Ukraine, amid the latest diplomatic exchanges between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv.

Tagarev stressed that peace remains distant despite recent reports suggesting progress. He noted that while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had announced his willingness to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to clarify details such as territorial concessions or NATO accession, this meeting is unlikely to occur. “Trump has assured that he is ready to meet both sides only once the agreement reaches its final form,” Tagarev explained.

U.S. President Trump recently rescinded a prior deadline for Ukraine to accept a U.S.-backed 28-point peace proposal, stating that negotiations are ongoing and that Russia has agreed to some unspecified concessions. Last week, Trump had sought agreement from Kyiv by Thursday, but on the government plane, he clarified: “My deadline is when it’s all over.”

Tagarev characterized the peace plan primarily as an economic framework. He suggested that recent developments may constitute a Russian information and psychological operation, designed to publicly portray Ukraine as unwilling to accept peace and unworthy of U.S. support.

Highlighting the strategic significance of the Donetsk region, Tagarev warned that if the remaining six thousand square kilometers were ceded to Russia, it would facilitate Russian advances north toward Kharkiv and west toward the Dnieper River. “If Ukraine falls, we are next. That is for sure,” he said, underlining the potential direct threat to Bulgaria should Russia achieve its objectives in Ukraine.