SOFIA -- NATO and EU member Bulgaria says it is recalling its ambassador to Russia for consultations in response to "undiplomatic, sharp, and rude" comments from the Russian ambassador to Sofia.
"We will call back our ambassador from Russia for consultations back to Bulgaria.... Usually when one country calls back its ambassador for consultations, the other should follow and do the same," Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said on March 24.
In an interview with Russian TV earlier this week, Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova said that the Bulgarian people did not back their government's position toward Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Mitrofanova told Russia-24 TV that "the people of Bulgaria still do not support the rhetoric and actions of their government regarding the special operation in Ukraine."
Bulgaria last week expelled 10 Russian diplomats, saying they were carrying out activities deemed incompatible with their diplomatic status, a move followed up quickly by the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Sofia Recalls Ambassador To Russia For Consultations
Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova (file photo)