US Defence Secy holds talks with Bulgaria's PM; iterates NATO's unity & support amid war

In the wake of the Russia-led invasion of Ukraine, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin on Saturday held talks with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov over the ongoing war on Kyiv and NATO's strategy amidst clashes. The talks hold relevance as in the pretext of carrying out a 'special military operation' in Ukraine and the autonomous region of Donbas, comprising rebel regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, the Russian President-led forces launched military offensives toward Kyiv. 

"In this critical time, the United States showed real true allied support to Bulgaria. The war Putin has started has put the whole of Europe at risk. In this complex situation, no one can defend themselves alone. We need to unite. Bulgaria is NATO. We are NATO," Prime Minister Petkov said. 

'America's NATO is Bulgaria’s NATO'

"We are allies, we will be redefining our forces. We will establish and lead a multinational battlegroup," the Bulgarian Prime Minister further added. 

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin affirmed that the US and Bulgaria held a productive discussion on the ongoing 'unprovoked' offensive on Ukraine.

"We (US) condemn Russia's ruthless and reckless aggression against a peaceful neighbour. We underscore our support to the Ukrainian people," Austin said while stating that the Russian aggression has taken a toll on Ukraine and Europe too. 

"Our conversation was struck by the courage of Ukrainian people, their struggle is crucial for the world," Austin further said. 

Noting that Bulgaria welcomed thousands of Ukrainian people whose lives have been damaged by Vladimir Putin's forces, the Pentagon head said, "Our (the US and Bulgaria's) defence partnership has never been so strong and improving Bulgaria's military is even more important."

"The US will continue to stand strong with Bulgaria and other NATO allies. What we can do to strengthen the eastern flank here and what we can do about interoperability," Austin said.

Taking to Twitter, Austin shared, "Bulgarian PM Kiril Petkov and I just finished a productive discussion on a range of topics – including the new Bulgarian-led NATO Multinational Battlegroup, which the United States fully supports. We are NATO."

US  won't engage in combat in Ukraine nor establish a No-Fly Zone: Pentagon

Lloyd Austin iterated that the United States will refrain from engaging in hostilities in Ukraine nor will establish a no-fly zone over the war-torn country. In notable reasoning, Austin said that if the United States engaged in combat, it would require to take down Russian forces which would make two nuclear-powered nations at war. He implied that such a scenario is not 'good for the region'.

Austin said, "We'd have to control the skies and that would mean that we'd have to engage Russian aircraft we'd also have to take out Russian and aircraft and aircraft systems in Ukraine, in Belarus, and also in Russia. So that would mean that we're in combat with Russia. And these are two nuclear-powered countries. That nobody wants to see. It's not good for the region. It's not good for the world,"