Bulgaria has officially ceased the supply of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine. The statement was made on Tuesday, June 9, by the country's Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov. This decision reflected a shift in Sofia's political course following the parliamentary elections held in April, in which the coalition led by Prime Minister Rumen Radev, known for his critical stance on military assistance to Kyiv, won. This was reported by Politico.
The head of the defense agency emphasized that the conflict in Ukraine cannot be resolved militarily on the battlefield. According to Stoyanov, there is a protracted war of attrition, and further accumulation of arms will only lead to an increase in human casualties, which is why it is time for the parties to sit down at the negotiating table. It is worth noting that since the beginning of the full-scale military actions in 2022, Bulgaria has managed to transfer 13 packages of military assistance to Kyiv, but now Prime Minister Rumen Radev has described Ukraine's efforts in this confrontation as futile.
The Prime Minister of Bulgaria, a former fighter pilot, regularly referred to his military experience, arguing for the urgent need to initiate peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Earlier, in May, Radev proposed that the European Union officially take on the role of leader in organizing this peace process.
Despite the new Bulgarian leadership adopting a more restrained position regarding support for Kyiv, the authorities in Sofia sought to avoid open confrontation with Brussels over the Ukrainian issue. This is due to the fact that Bulgaria remains the poorest country in the European Union and critically depends on financial support and subsidies from the EU.
At the same time as the cessation of assistance to Ukraine, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov presented a new government plan, according to which Bulgaria's military spending will be increased to a record 5 percent of GDP, significantly exceeding the NATO standard.
