Prime Minister: Bulgaria will no longer supply weapons to Ukraine
Bulgaria will no longer participate in the new round of European funding for Ukraine, nor will it supply weapons and ammunition from army stockpiles, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated, RBC-Ukraine reports .
Rumen Radev. Photo: AP Photo/Sergei Grits
Radev stated that Bulgaria is currently subject to an excessive budget deficit procedure. In addition, the country is facing difficulties in building its own reserves, and therefore cannot allocate financial resources under current conditions.
“As for financial aid, we ourselves are in an excessive deficit procedure, and Ms. Ursula von der Leyen has repeatedly asked us to reduce the deficit below the 3% threshold,” the Prime Minister said.
He emphasized that Bulgaria will not prevent other EU member states from independently making decisions regarding the provision of financial assistance.
At the same time, Bulgaria is ready to discuss mechanisms that would guarantee the funds are used exclusively for humanitarian needs, electricity supply, and medical care, rather than for the purchase of weaponry.
If Bulgaria acts as a guarantor, Radev insists on introducing mechanisms that would allow funds to be directed straight to the Bulgarian community concentrated in several regions of Ukraine.
The Prime Minister also added that Bulgaria no longer supplies weapons and ammunition to Ukraine from army stockpiles.
According to him, in 2022 and 2023, Bulgarian defense enterprises exported in very large volumes, but these figures later gradually decreased.
Radev explained this by the changing nature of the war: while in the initial phase there was an acute need for ammunition, demand has now shifted toward unmanned aerial vehicles.