Kristian Vigenin: The EU must also take part in the peace negotiations on Ukraine, Macron's strategy is wrong

„Sometimes everything has to be broken in order to be built again. It seems to me that Trump is trying to “break” the world order, with the idea of somehow arranging it afterwards. This is his approach in business too, and he is now applying it in world politics.” This was stated by the head of the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the EP Kristian Vigenin on BG On Air regarding the events of the past week. He expressed concern about the reaction of the European Union: „We complained that we had been bypassed in the peace negotiations on Ukraine. But instead of seeking a consolidated response from the European institutions, the French President Emmanuel Macron began meetings in Paris, and not with all the member states of the European Union. On the one hand we want to be at the negotiating table on Ukraine, and on the other hand not everyone is at the negotiating table in Paris. For me this is a wrong strategy.“

In Kristian Vigenin’s view, Donald Trump is trying to find the points of intersection for achieving peace with his latest actions. „I believe that Zelensky’s closeness to the previous American administration is one of the reasons for Ukraine’s isolation at this stage. There may be arrangements we do not know about. But there can be no lasting peace if the most affected country does not take part in the negotiations“, he said. At the same time he described as too crude the approach of putting up front an agreement obliging Ukraine to give the USA full access to its mineral resources.

Realism and a just peace for Ukraine

„Realism towards this conflict is needed, we should think about what to do so that Ukraine gets a just peace. What Trump has achieved in just a few days is that the EU has begun to talk about how peace can be achieved with his participation, rather than about how to continue supporting the military action. We cannot agree to anything other than a lasting solution to the conflict.“, Kristian Vigenin pointed out. He warned that it would be a grave mistake by the European Union if it tried to replace the USA in financing the war.

In Vigenin’s view, Trump wants to end the war because he is aware that there is no positive outcome for Ukraine. „We have seen that despite all the support of the USA and the EU, Ukraine continues to lose territory. And both theory and practice in international relations show that for there to be a lasting solution, both sides have to be equally dissatisfied”, he noted.

Bulgaria’s place in the new world

“The question about the new world being born before our eyes is where a country such as Bulgaria, which has limited military and economic capabilities, would stand. If international law ceases to apply, if it is the right of the strong, how will we be protected in this world? That is why we must think about what the guarantees for peace and security in Europe are in the new conditions“, Vigenin commented. In his view, the declaration adopted by the National Assembly gives guarantees that Bulgaria will be a country that contributes to peace and will not commit to sending military forces.