Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
The Presidents of Bulgaria and Romania, Rumen Radev and Klaus Iohannis, after a meeting in Bucharest spoke about friendly relations with Russia, despite both countries being members of the European Union and NATO, Associated Press reports.

On Wednesday, the European Council officially confirmed the extension of economic sanctions against Russia until January 21, 2018.
"Channels with Russia should be left open so as to allow a sincere and open dialogue that will help reduce the tension and risks", Radev said. The Bulgarian President also highligthed the importance of Russia in creating an alternative energy network that guarantees security and low energy consumption prices.
Iohannis in turn responded to Moscow's criticisms, stating that the placement of anti-missile American installations in Romania threatens Russia's security. The Romanian leader repeated that the US base is purely defensive.

Russia has repeatedly stated that it will react adequately to the expansion of NATO's military infrastructure in Eastern Europe.