Bulgaria has not held official talks with the United States on hosting parts of a US missile shield, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said on Friday after Russia demanded an explanation from Sofia on the issue.

Last week, Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said the US would hold preliminary talks with Bulgaria, adding Sofia should show solidarity to the collective European security.
 

On Thursday, Russia asked Bulgaria's ambassador to Moscow to explain the "goals and essence" of those talks.
 

"There have been no official talks with the US on this issue," Bulgaria's foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
 

Vesela Cherneva said the Balkan country, a NATO and European Union member, had so far not received an official invitation for talks. Sofia will continue to stick to NATO's joint approach in taking decisions on security and defence, the ministry said.
 

US President Barack Obama has revamped the US missile defence approach since he scrapped a Bush-era plan for a radar site and interceptor rockets in the Czech Republic and Poland.

Clarification
Moscow has repeatedly demanded clarification from Washington, voicing surprise at Romania's offer this month to host interceptor missiles. News about Bulgaria's potential role further raised alarms.
 

Alexander Vershbow, US assistant defence secretary for international security affairs, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that Washington had not asked Bulgaria to host any missile shield elements so far.
 

He said Moscow knew last year Romania was a possible site and reiterated the missile defence plans were not aimed at Russia but instead focused on countries such as Iran.
 

Russia sees the plan as a threat to its own nuclear arsenal and has bristled at what it sees as US meddling in its sphere of influence. Most of Eastern Europe was part of the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact during the Cold War.
 

Borisov said earlier this week that both Moscow and Washington played their own games at Bulgaria's expense.
 

"So many opinions were voiced by the two sides without even consulting us. I will just pretend that I have heard neither the Russians nor the Americans," he said.
 

Source: Reuters