site.btaPM Radev: Bulgaria Reached Its Military Aid Limit after 13 Packages for Ukraine

After 13 military aid packages, Bulgaria has reached the limit of what it can provide from the Armed Forces’ resources without compromising its national defence capabilities, Prime Minister Rumen Radev explained on Tuesday in a written answer to a question from Continue the Change Floor Leader Nikolay Denkov regarding the suspended military aid to Ukraine.

Radev clarified that the suspension of donations from the Bulgarian Army does not mean a suspension of support in other areas, nor does it mean a halt to the activities of the Bulgarian defence industry. He further explained that military support includes the provision of weapons, ammunition, participation in operations, and specialized training, while military-technical support encompasses military education, repair and maintenance, spare parts, and logistics.

“In order to maintain the resources necessary for the defence of the country within the Bulgarian Armed Forces, and taking into account the current fiscal realities that led the European Commission to initiate an excessive deficit procedure, I believe that our country has reached the limit of its capacity to provide bilateral military or financial support to Ukraine beyond what has already been agreed upon,” the Prime Minister stated.

Radev added that Bulgaria is working toward a lasting and just peace in Ukraine, based on international law and the UN Charter. Achieving this requires the full use of all complementary instruments, foremost among which is diplomacy. The Prime Minister denied that there is any discrepancy between the position of the Foreign Minister, expressed in an interview with France24 on June 5, and that of the Defence Minister, expressed to Bulgarian journalists on June 9. According to Radev, both statements reflect the same position of the Bulgarian government. 

In his words, the Foreign Minister’s assessment in the interview with France24 was that the diplomatic track remains underutilized. That is why it is important for the EU to actively engage diplomatically in the peace process, so that the terms of peace and the future security architecture in Europe are not decided without the participation of the Union and of Ukraine itself, Radev added.