Ukraine summons Bulgarian envoy over president's Crimea comments

FILE PHOTO: Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev, speaks to the media before voting during parliamentary and presidential elections, in Sofia, Bulgaria, November 14, 2021. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov/File Photo

KYIV/SOFIA (Reuters) - Ukraine summoned the Bulgarian ambassador on Friday after Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said the Crimean Peninsula was part of Russia after being annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

In a presidential debate ahead of Bulgaria's run-off presidential vote on Sunday Radev said Western sanctions against Moscow were not delivering the expected results and that the European Union should restore dialogue with Russia, no matter how strained relations were.