Bulgaria Halts Arms Transfers and Financial Aid to Ukraine

Bulgaria lacks the financial resources to provide monetary support to Ukraine and will no longer supply weapons or ammunition from its military stockpiles, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev told journalists on Friday, Nov. 13, at an informal EU summit in Dublin, Debati.bg reported. Responding to questions regarding a new EU loan package for Ukraine and Sofia’s potential participation as a guarantor, Radev stated that Bulgaria is currently under an EU excessive deficit procedure and faces constraints on its state reserves.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. However, the Bulgarian prime minister noted that Sofia will not obstruct other EU member states from extending financial assistance to Kyiv. Radev stated that while Bulgaria supports diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war, he opposes the concept of pursuing “peace through strength,” arguing that continued military backing leads to greater casualties, destruction, and escalation. Radev’s conditions for non-military aid Radev emphasized that Ukraine is home to the largest historical ethnic Bulgarian community within the EU and expressed concern over casualties suffered by ethnic Bulgarians during the war. He said that Sofia is prepared to discuss mechanisms guaranteeing that any European funds involving Bulgaria are directed strictly toward humanitarian needs, electricity supply restoration, and medical care rather than weapons procurement. Furthermore, he stated that if Bulgaria participates as a loan guarantor, Sofia will insist that a portion of the funding be allocated specifically to the Bulgarian community in Ukraine, which is concentrated primarily in the southern Odesa region. Other Topics of Interest Polish PM Donald Tusk has told NATO’s Mark Rutte that Warsaw will not fund US arms purchases for Ukraine under the PURL scheme due to high domestic defense costs. Radev also noted that Bulgarian defense manufacturers recorded substantial export volumes during 2022 and 2023 before shipments declined, attributing the shift to evolving battlefield demand favoring unmanned aerial vehicles over conventional artillery ammunition. Sofia’s recent policy shift The remarks in Dublin follow a formal decision adopted by Radev’s cabinet on Oct. 21 to end Bulgarian financing for lethal weapons purchases for Ukraine through the European Peace Facility, restricting future contributions solely to non-military assistance, according to the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). Since Radev’s political coalition won parliamentary elections in April, Sofia has steadily rolled back the military support policies maintained by previous administrations, which had served as major suppliers of Soviet-standard artillery shells to Kyiv. In June, Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov announced plans to halt all direct weapons deliveries to Ukraine, and in July, Radev withdrew Bulgaria from the British- and French-led “Coalition of the Willing,” stating that the conflict must be resolved through diplomacy rather than military means. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.