New Ukrainian ambassador presents credentials to Bulgaria's president

The newly appointed Ukrainian Ambassador to Bulgaria, Olesya Ilashchuk, has presented credentials to Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev.

That's according to the press service of the Embassy of Ukraine in Bulgaria, Ukrinform reports.

According to the report, during the meeting with the president, the ambassador thanked the Bulgarian people for comprehensive support for Ukraine amid Russia's large-scale military invasion and for support for tens of thousands of Ukrainians who found temporary protection in the country.

"During the audience, [both parties] discussed the continuation of political, economic, energy and defense assistance to Ukraine, cooperation as part of the implementation of the Ukrainian president's peace formula and within the Crimea Platform, the strengthening of the sanctions regime against Russia, the development of the Ukrainian-Bulgarian dialogue, as well as the realization of the rights of the numerous Bulgarian community in Ukraine," the embassy said.

On December 23, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Ilashchuk Ukraine's ambassador to Bulgaria. This caused an ambiguous reaction among experts since, according to media reports, Ilashchuk has no experience in diplomacy and has never held a government position.