Bulgaria is acting fully in line with NATO protocol, Petar Vitanov said after drones again attacked ships in the Black Sea. Vitanov, who chairs the "Progressive Bulgaria" parliamentary group, spoke to reporters in the corridors of parliament.

This report follows our earlier story on Radev's letters to the EU and NATO, in which he asked for technical help with the investigation into the attack on merchant ships in the Black Sea.

Prime minister Rumen Radev announced new drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea this morning. He called an emergency meeting of the Security Council at the Council of Ministers. He will discuss steps with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte in a call today. Radev also said he will summon the Russian ambassador.

Bulgaria has not neglected security in the Black Sea and has raised the issue at European level, Vitanov said. He insisted: "Bulgarian institutions cannot solve this issue on their own. It needs a Europe-wide response and a Europe-wide initiative."

Vitanov said neither Bulgaria, nor Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022, nor Russia itself has a defence against drones. There is no effective answer to them, only NATO programmes in which Bulgaria takes part. While the full-scale war that Russia began against Ukraine in February 2022 goes on, even if 99 drones are stopped, the hundredth will hit, he said. He added that NATO discourages the indiscriminate use of Article 4.

Vitanov believes that after the first incident the logic pointed to Russian drones, and now this is confirmed. Summoning the Russian ambassador is long overdue, he added. He explained the delay after the first incident this way: "It happens step by step, because we had no firm data on where the drone came from, only assumptions, guesses and working hypotheses."

The emergency session of parliament failed because there was no quorum. Vitanov has seen the medical report on the pardon of a person whose pardon is under discussion. He said the person has a stroke, peritonitis, leukaemia and dementia, illnesses that are incompatible with life. The "Progressive Bulgaria" parliamentary group will not become a mouthpiece for the "black and dirty campaign", he said.

Updated (13.10, 15:23): Prime minister Rumen Radev has called for a joint effort to stop attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea, the Council of Ministers press office said. He made the appeal in phone calls with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and NATO secretary general Mark Rutte. The EU and NATO leaders thanked Bulgaria for its quick response in rescuing the sailors and said they were ready to give allied support in clarifying the incidents. Radev will start talks with Romania and Turkey on joint proposals for safer shipping and will raise the issue at the European Council meeting on 15 and 16 October. According to the prime minister, one ship was hit by three aerial drones 18 miles east of Byala, and another was hit 17 miles east of Krapets and sank, BTA reported.

Follow-up: Rutte holds talks with Radev and Dan on Black Sea security