Bulgarians Prefer EU and NATO Over Russia, New Poll Reveals
A recent survey in Bulgaria reveals a clear preference among citizens for the European Union and NATO over Russia, with nearly twice as many respondents supporting the Western alliances
The EU and US are ready to freeze rapprochement with Belarus if no swift improvement is made in the human rights sphere, according to a joint statement by the two heads of diplomacy, Catherine Ashton and Hilary Clinton.
Last Sunday, incumbent President Alexandr Lukashenko won a landslide victory of over 80% at the presidental elections in Belarus, which were declared by the OSCE as "neither free, nor fair."
Although a number of opposition candidates participated in the vote and were given access to publicity that is ample by Belarusian standards, none of them appeared to achieve significant success, as the best-ranking opposition candidate Alexander Milinkievic scored just 6%.
The results proved frustrating for thousands of Belarusians, who walked out in protest Sunday night amid a snow storm. The protests erupted into clashes, with many wounded and imprisoned, including opposition candidates themselves.
In their joint statement, the EU and US call for immediate release of all those imprisoned, and "strongly condemn all violence, especially the disproportionate use of force against presidential candidates, political activists, representatives of civil society and journalists."
The statement further describes the elections as an "unfortunate step backwards" for Belarus.
The EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton jointly state that any progress in relations with Belarus is conditional on palpable improvement in the state of human rights and democratic governance in the country.
A boycott of major retail chains in Croatia has led to an estimated loss of 80 million euros
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that without military aid from the United States, Ukraine would face immense difficulties both in its defense and in securing its future
US Vice President JD Vance delivered a critical speech at the Munich Security Conference
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that Europe cannot indefinitely rely on the US military presence
The NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels and the Munich Security Conference have drawn significant attention this week, with US President Donald Trump's approach to Ukraine and Russia
On the night of February 13-14, a Russian loitering munition carrying a high-explosive incendiary warhead struck the shelter of the 4th reactor at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant
Bulgaria's Perperikon: A European Counterpart to Peru's Machu Picchu
Bulgarians Among EU's Least Frequent Vacationers, Struggling with Affordability