Prime Minister Rumen Radev on Friday defended Bulgaria’s refusal to back a proposed special tribunal for Russian crimes committed against Ukraine, saying the country had a right to its own opinion on the matter.
Such a “military tribunal” only has an effect when a state has been defeated, capitulated and its leader captured, Radev said.
"I do not believe that these conditions exist at present, nor are they likely to arise," he added.
Last week, 36 countries and the European Union committed at a Council of Europe meeting in Moldova to establishing a special tribunal in The Hague to prosecute senior Russian political and military officials for the “crime of aggression against Ukraine.”
Bulgaria, which has been governed by Radev's centre-left Cabinet since early May, declined to join the declaration.
A former general and fighter pilot, Radev was regarded as pro-Russian in his previous role as president.
Besides Bulgaria, three other EU member states — Hungary, Slovakia and Malta — did not sign the declaration of intent.
