Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would not want Europe to be weak and not protect its participation in the Nord Stream 2 project, as Bulgaria did with South Stream. This was pointed out at a joint press conference after a conversation with Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz in Moscow.

“Bulgaria, under pressure from outside, abandoned this project, now they regret it, now they are talking about getting our gas through the Turkish Stream. I really would not like all of Europe to look like Bulgaria, show such weakness and inability to protect its national interests," said Putin.

"The Bulgarian colleagues assured us that they would fight for the South Stream to the end, as this corresponds to their national interests. This increases their geopolitical status as a transit country for gas to Europe, somewhere under €400 million per year, simply because there is a pipe on their territory," the president added. He commented that the Bulgarian side hoped to create several thousand job positions.