Bulgaria will no longer send weapons to Ukraine, announced Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov on Tuesday, marking a major shift in Sofia’s position regarding military support for Kyiv.
The decision reinforces the new Bulgarian government’s opposition to European military support for Ukraine, following the clear victory obtained in the parliamentary elections in April by Prime Minister Rumen Radev (photo above), considered close to Moscow’s positions.
Since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion in 2022, Bulgaria has sent 13 aid packages to Kyiv.
"We have already made it clear that the war in Ukraine will not be resolved on the battlefield. We are witnessing a war of attrition, and no matter how much weaponry is accumulated, the only result is the loss of human lives. It is time to sit down at the negotiation table," stated Stoyanov at a press conference.
Radev, a former military pilot, invoked his army experience to argue that Ukraine should negotiate peace with Russia. In May, he suggested that the European Union should play a central role in initiating peace talks.
Although the new government in Sofia has taken a more Kremlin-friendly stance, it has so far avoided open confrontation with Brussels on the Ukraine issue.
Bulgaria, the poorest country in the European Union, is significantly dependent on European funds.
In addition to halting military aid to Ukraine, Stoyanov also presented the Government's plan to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, in line with NATO commitments previously assumed by Radev.