Ahead of his meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin today at the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov denied claims that there were government's intentions to provide military support to Ukraine. According to him, information about providing air defense system or other special missiles were fake news. He added that a possible decision on military support for Ukraine must first pass through parliament.

At the same time, the situation in Ukraine remains tense. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced that the country's armed forces had temporarily lost access to the Sea of ​​Azov amid the tightening of the Russian encirclement of Mariupol, where the fighting is taking place downtown the city. Meanwhile, amid the remains of a bombed theater, rescue teams continue efforts to find survivors.

In a video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for dialogue and the restoration of territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine. Zelensky pointed out that a total of 9,000 people were evacuated from Mariupol yesterday. During the entire period of operation of the humanitarian corridors, more than 180,000 people have been saved.