(Bloomberg) -- Bulgarian President Rumen Radev clarified his stance on Crimea on the first day after his re-election following comments that sparked an angry reaction from the U.S. and Ukraine.
Radev, who won a second five-year term on Sunday, said last week during a pre-election debate that sanctions on Russia for its occupation of Crimea were having no effect. When pressed by his opponent to say whose territory Crimea is now, he said “ right now -- Russian, what else.”
His statement drew a sharp rebuke.
On Friday, the Bulgarian ambassador to Ukraine was summoned and Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said it expected Radev to refute his statement which is “sharply dissonant” with Sofia’s official position that supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The U.S. Embassy in Sofia said on Monday that it was “deeply concerned” by his remarks.
Hours later, Radev’s office clarified his stance, saying the president has “repeatedly stated that the annexation of Crimea is in violation of international law.”
“From a legal point of view, Crimea belongs to Ukraine and our country has repeatedly declared its support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Radev’s office said in a statement, adding that the president only outlined the current situation in the debate.
Even though Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and NATO, it has deep cultural and historical ties with Russia. The Balkan country is also strongly dependent on Moscow for its supplies of natural gas and nuclear fuel.
When Radev first took office in 2017, he campaigned to lift sanctions against Russia for its occupation of Crimea.
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