Petkov and Ciucă on gas pipeline, Ukraine aid

The leaders of Romania and Bulgaria on Friday announced plans to work together to reduce Russia's pressure on the gas market.

Russia this week cut off natural gas supplies to Bulgaria and also to Poland, two NATO members.

The interconnector between Greece and Bulgaria, through which gas can be delivered, could be "physically ready" in June, announced Bulgarian Prime Kiril Petkov after a meeting with Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca.

He added that their partners in Azerbaijan are also a possible source for gas. On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with Petkov on energy and defence cooperation during his visit to Kyiv.