OREANDA-NEWS Bulgaria does not want the presence of American forces on its territory, but is ready to receive the French military, BNR radio station reports, citing an informed diplomatic source.

"Bulgaria does not want the presence of US forces on its territory, but is ready to accept French soldiers," the radio station said in a statement.

According to the radio station, the head of the Bulgarian Defense Ministry Stefan Yanev did not confirm this information. "If such negotiations were conducted, then at the military-technical level. This has not been discussed at the political level," BNR quoted Yanev.

At the same time, the chairman of the Sofia Security Forum, Yordan Bozhilov, said that this is "false information" aimed at splitting NATO and the EU.

On Tuesday, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said that the country's authorities would withdraw their troops from NATO forces in Eastern Europe in the event of a conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

On January 24, readers of the Bulgarian edition of "Dnes" opposed the deployment of foreign troops in the republic, commenting on the news that the country will determine its position in the event of a war between Russia and Ukraine within three weeks. The site's users called on the country's leadership not to serve the interests of the United States and the North Atlantic Alliance. Defense Minister Stefan Yanev said that Bulgaria should prepare for the influx of refugees into the country and did not support the strengthening of the NATO presence in the republic, so as not to increase tension.