Bulgaria to end state weapons supply to Ukraine

Bulgaria will no longer provide weapons from its army's reserves to Ukraine, Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced Wednesday. He emphasized the need to pursue a diplomatic solution to end the conflict.

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We have already given enough, while our country continues to suffer socio-economic damage from this bloody war.

"We have already given enough, while our country continues to suffer socio-economic damage from this bloody war," Radev told reporters before a cabinet meeting. The prime minister, who took office in May after his party won parliamentary elections, has previously advocated for dialogue with Russia and criticized military aid to Ukraine.

Radev expressed conviction that a peaceful resolution cannot be achieved through military means. "That is why we once again call for a comprehensive and realistic approach to this war and for the pursuit of a diplomatic solution," he added.

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We have already given enough, while our country continues to suffer socio-economic damage from this bloody war.

Although Bulgaria has supplied Ukraine with arms, including air-defense missiles, from its own stocks, often compensated through the EU's European Peace Facility, its defense industry remains a significant supplier of ammunition. Bulgarian factories producing rounds for Soviet-era weapons have thrived since the war's outset. These products are not sold directly to Ukraine but to other EU countries, which then transfer them to Kyiv.

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We have already given enough, while our country continues to suffer socio-economic damage from this bloody war.

The decision has drawn criticism from the center-right GERB party, led by former prime minister Boyko Borissov. GERB argued that halting military aid erodes "trust in Bulgaria as an ally."

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We have already given enough, while our country continues to suffer socio-economic damage from this bloody war.