Prime minister Rumen Radev's remarks about a ship hit in the Black Sea have caused a major diplomatic row with Romania, Asen Vasilev, leader of We Continue the Change (PP), said in a TV interview.

A drone hit a container ship off Cape Kaliakra yesterday while the defence ministers and chiefs of defence of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey were meeting in Sofia. Nikolay Denkov asked Radev and commander-in-chief Iliana Yotova to explain why the war is getting closer to the Bulgarian border.

What happened before: Denkov asks Radev and Yotova to explain after drone hits ship off Shabla

Radev spoke about the attacks on ships in the Black Sea at the opening of the Sofia Economic Forum. Vasilev said Radev explained one of the strikes by saying the Romanians had spotted where the threat came from and tried to stop the drone before it hit. Vasilev said he does not know how Bulgaria will work with the Romanians in the Black Sea from now on.

Before Radev came to power, drones had not hit a single ship, Vasilev said. Five ships have been hit in the past month alone.

The PP leader also spoke about electricity compensation. The government has sent letters to all firms in Bulgaria saying the scheme is changing. Until now, firms had a monthly cap on the electricity price and received compensation for anything above it.

Under the new scheme, firms will pay the exchange price from September to 30 June next year, with no monthly compensation. After June they will get compensation only if the fund has money, and the amount will not be known in advance. The fund is filled by payments from energy companies.

Vasilev said the government is leaving firms to deal with the market on their own. He said the exchange price of electricity is twice what it was at the same time in 2022. At current gas and electricity prices, he believes, the fund will not have enough money for both households and businesses. So either firms, or people, or both will get less than they need, he said.

Vasilev expects the dearer electricity to be paid for through higher prices and said the price of banitsa pastries is bound to rise. He does not understand why the prime minister says electricity and heating bills will not rise if gas gets dearer, given that the energy regulator (EWRC) is independent. He called this more lies from Radev.

Vasilev said the European Commission stated minutes before the interview that Bulgaria decides for itself how to divide spending in the 2027 budget. In his words, that contradicts Radev's claim that he negotiated with the Commission over pensions and maternity benefits and tried to protect them. The Commission says it has no say in the matter.