On May 18-19, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Dr. Karen Donfried will visit Sofia, Bulgaria, for a series of high-level meetings to reaffirm the strong bilateral partnership between the United States and Bulgaria. During her visit, Assistant Secretary Donfried will meet with senior Bulgarian government officials and leaders of political parties, and discuss a range of key issues, including our robust bilateral security cooperation, NATO's unified response to Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine, the U.S. commitment to supporting Bulgaria's energy security and efforts to combat corruption, and other regional issues.
This is the latest in a series of high-level engagements between the United States and Bulgaria. Most recently, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Department of State Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Kirill Petkov during his May 9-10 visit to Washington, D.C. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Bulgaria in March, and State Department Counselor Derek Chollet visited Sofia in February. Assistant Secretary Donfried's visit will build on these recent engagements and set the stage for the next meeting of the U.S.-Bulgaria bilateral strategic dialogue later this year.
