António Costa in Sofia: It is time for Russia to stop this war

European Council President António Costa is visiting Sofia as part of his tour of EU capitals. Speaking alongside Prime Minister Rumen Radev, Costa reaffirmed Europe’s support for Ukraine, BNR reporter Marta Mladenova said.

“It is time for Russia to stop this war and not escalate it. Russia’s threats and intimidation will not weaken our determination to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, until a just and lasting peace is achieved. It is time for a ceasefire and for genuine peace negotiations to begin,” Costa said.

Costa’s tour focuses on the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034.

“We discussed with European Council President António Costa how to ensure that efforts to boost competitiveness are properly distributed over the years, that all EU member states have equal access to the EU’s cohesion fund and to the key instruments underpinning it, so that less developed countries do not fall behind in technological and industrial development,” Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, quoted by the Bulgarian News Agency BTA.

Radev added that he had proposed a new term to Costa: “industrial cohesion”.

“We should not talk only about cohesion as we have until now – traditional cohesion through social programmes and infrastructure – but about a form of cohesion that enables all member states to participate on an equal footing in Europe’s technological and industrial development,” Radev said. Otherwise, he added, fragmentation in the field of high technology would continue to deepen.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova