00:00Now for more on the significance of this result for Bulgaria and also for Europe, we can bring in Martin
00:07Vladimirov, who is an expert analyst for the Center for the Study of Democracy.
00:12Martin, good morning. Really good to have you with us on the show this morning.
00:16Assuming Radev does form a government now, and I think we can assume that based on the results, what do
00:22you expect from him in terms of his foreign policy and his approach towards the EU?
00:27Well, before the election results came out, which are really a landslide, unprecedented victory for one party, we have been
00:38monitoring his party's social media engagement.
00:43And the data is very clear. There have been a huge increase in pro-Russian narratives disseminated by his social
00:51media accounts.
00:52He has been staunchly kind of anti-sanctions and anti-countering Russian influence in Europe over the last decade or
01:04so.
01:05There have been reports back when he was being voted in as president that his campaign was coordinated with the
01:13former security services of the Kremlin.
01:16So a decade later, we may see a pragmatic Bulgarian leader who will remain pro-EU on the surface.
01:27But as in previous times, we have seen Bulgaria being a very practical Trojan horse for the Kremlin.
01:35Even when they talk pro-EU and pro-NATO policies underground or underneath this rhetoric, we can see actions that
01:44undermine, for example, the phase out of Russian oil and gas in Europe or undermining the sanctions policy against Russia
01:51and the support for Ukraine.
01:52OK, it's very interesting what you say.
01:54So based on that, can we expect him to step into the shoes of Viktor Orban, for example, or do
01:59you expect him to be more collaborative on the EU's Ukraine policy?
02:04I think Mr. Radeff will be much more collaborative than Mr. Orban.
02:09He will not be openly anti-EU policy.
02:12He will probably vote in favor of many of the EU actions.
02:17But I don't doubt that there will be attempts on his part and on his government to undermine the strength
02:25of these actions.
02:27Similarly to what Mr. Fitsou has been doing in Slovakia, nominally supporting EU policy, but trying to undercut and find
02:36loophole and gaps into this policy.
02:38So this is a major win for the Kremlin, I think, a culmination of a long strategy of Russia to
02:46solidify its influence in the country.
02:48But I don't think we should over-exaggerate this process.
02:55We are about to see what will happen.
02:57Anti-corruption policy would be his first item on the agenda.
03:01So I think domestic politics would trump foreign policy in the beginning, at least.
03:05OK, thank you so much, Martin Vladimirov, an expert analyst for us there.
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