Relations with Russia

In March 1891, Archbishop Clement returned from Saint Petersburg full of vigor. It was clear his trip to Russia had been successful, and he was in high spirits.

He pestered people daily about the advantages of allying with Russia, to the point where cabinet members now avoided him. Without Ferdinand's approval, they dared not make any decisions.

Seeing that the government route was blocked, Clement turned his attention to Ferdinand. He was no longer content with merely improving relations with Russia; he wanted to deepen the Bulgarian-Russian relationship, ideally forging a strong alliance.

"Your Highness, Russia is Bulgaria's natural ally. Since the War of Independence, we have consistently received Russia's help. Although there were some misunderstandings, those were issues from the Stam Cabinet era. For Bulgaria's better development, an alliance with Russia is imperative! Believe me, I can swear on God's name!" Clement spoke with great passion, attempting to sway Ferdinand with his words.

It was evident that Clement did not understand politics, otherwise, he wouldn't have brought this up so casually in a ministerial meeting.

The conflict between Bulgaria and Russia during the Stam era had led to Ferdinand's ascension. Anyone with even a modicum of political sense would have avoided such a topic to prevent embarrassing Ferdinand.

Although he spoke with great fervor, the others showed little reaction. It was too vague, lacking any concrete details. It was important for Russia and Bulgaria, but what were the specific benefits for Bulgaria? Without seeing that, how could they gain everyone's support!

Ferdinand interjected, saying, "Mr. Bishop, you are correct, relations with Russia are indeed very important! The issue is that Bulgarian-Russian relations involve both of us and Russia, not just us deciding unilaterally!"

"At the same time, we must comprehensively consider international relations and the attitudes of other major powers! At the very least, the attitudes of the United Kingdom and the Austro-Hungarian Empire must be taken into account!"

As it turned out, Clement truly didn't understand politics; he was merely a simple Russophile, and international relations were far too complex for him.

His position in the cabinet was merely a gesture by Ferdinand to appease Russia and demonstrate Bulgaria's sincerity during his visit, granting him virtually no real power.

At this moment, a knock sounded at the door: "Knock, knock, knock... knock."

"Enter!" Ferdinand said, knowing that unless something major had happened, no one would interrupt a cabinet meeting.

The Chamberlain, Karl, hurried in and said to Ferdinand, "Your Highness, the international situation has undergone a massive change! News has just arrived from Berlin: on March 17th, the Russian ambassador to Germany, Paul Shuvalov, proposed to Berlin to extend the German-Russian Reinsurance Treaty for six years, but the German government refused!"

Everyone was shocked. The German-Russian alliance had ended just like that, and the international landscape was about to undergo a major reshuffling.

Even the politically slow Clement realized that Bulgaria's foreign policy would have to be adjusted.

Ferdinand pondered for a moment and said, "This was to be expected, I just didn't anticipate it happening so soon! Ever since the German-Russian trade conflict began, some had predicted this. After the dissolution of the League of the Three Emperors, Bismarck surprisingly concocted the Reinsurance Treaty. Now that the old Chancellor is out of office, Wilhelm II, who urgently needs to prove himself, naturally cannot wait any longer!"

He was educating the cabinet on international affairs. For a long time, Bulgaria's foreign relations had been a mess, primarily because their perspective was limited to the Balkans, failing to grasp the international environment clearly.

"Your Highness, how should we adjust our foreign policy moving forward?" asked Metev, who was in charge of foreign affairs, nervously.

Ferdinand countered, "What do you all think?"

Konstantin thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, until the international situation stabilizes, it is not advisable for us to get directly involved. Bulgaria is just a small country and lacks the ability to influence international affairs. We should adapt as circumstances change!"

Ferdinand nodded, indicating his approval. If Ferdinand hadn't known the subsequent historical trajectory, he would have made the same choice.

After all, Bulgaria was a small nation. One wrong step could lead to ruin; even if they won a gamble, the rewards would be limited. It was better to play both sides.

Historically, starting with Konstantin's government, Bulgaria had skillfully exploited international conflicts and played both sides. Initially, it worked well, and they were courted by various countries.

However, in the later stages, as the two major international blocs formed, Bulgaria's attempt to play both sides came at a terrible cost.

During the Second Balkan War, Russia, dissatisfied with Bulgaria's wavering stance, sided with the more resolute Serbia. Similarly, the Austro-Hungarian Empire also harbored doubts about Bulgaria's position and ultimately abandoned them.

Clement became anxious. He knew that the upcoming international diplomatic landscape would be very unfavorable to Russia. The value of a Bulgarian-Russian alliance would greatly diminish, which was unacceptable to him.

After a moment of silence, Ferdinand realized that it was too difficult to expect the cabinet to make a decision, especially since they were all suddenly promoted and lacked experience in this area.

"The international situation has undergone a drastic change, and its future direction is beyond our control. Therefore, the overall principle is to maintain stability and continue to stabilize relations with the United Kingdom and Austria. At the same time, we must value our relationship with Russia and continue to advance relations between the two countries. We must also strive to ease relations with the Balkan countries to lay the foundation for future economic development!" Ferdinand made a surprising decision.

Clement, whose political acumen was not highly developed, was somewhat stunned. Ferdinand, who had previously opposed an alliance with Russia, was now supporting it.

Konstantin was the first to react, smiling slightly, and then everyone else understood and nodded in agreement.

Bulgaria was poor in mineral resources, and to achieve industrialization, it had to import from abroad. In terms of cost, Russia was the best choice.

The Ukraine region was rich in mineral resources, underdeveloped industrially, and located on the Black Sea coast. It could not only provide resources for Bulgaria but also offered a vast market. Therefore, Bulgarian-Russian relations would become Bulgaria's most important diplomatic task going forward.

Even now, Ferdinand was still somewhat troubled by the surprisingly chaotic diplomatic performance of the Balkan countries.

Initially, Serbia leaned towards Austria-Hungary, Greece and Romania leaned towards Germany, and Bulgaria leaned towards Russia. After the outbreak of World War I, Bulgaria, which had been close to the Entente, joined the Central Powers, while the countries that had been close to the Central Powers successively turned to the Entente.

"Mr. Clement, you will have to work hard again and make another trip to Saint Petersburg. Under the guise of unofficial cultural exchange, we will strengthen the civilian exchanges between the two countries. Do you have any problems with that?" Ferdinand asked, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

Clement immediately replied, "No, no problem!" Although he didn't quite understand Ferdinand's diplomatic policy, the outcome was what he desired.