Radev Rules Out Financial Aid and Further Army Weapons for Ukraine

On the sidelines of an informal European Council meeting in Dublin on Friday, Bulgaria’s prime minister set a hard limit on what Sofia will still give Kyiv.

“We will not provide any more weapons and ammunition from the Bulgarian Army’s stocks,” Rumen Radev told reporters, according to the Bulgarian News Agency.

He said that position had been clear since his government took office in May.

Deficit Blocks New Funding

Radev said Bulgaria cannot provide financial assistance in the current circumstances because it is under an EU excessive deficit procedure and faces problems with its financial reserves.

The comments came as EU leaders discussed a new loan to cover part of Ukraine’s estimated €70 billion financing gap next year, after Friedrich Merz pressed all members to contribute.

Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria have already rejected tying that funding to approval of the EU’s next long-term budget.

“Whoever decides to help and invest financial resources in whatever they choose should do so. In this situation, we are not blocking anyone,” Radev said.

Army Stocks and Industry Sales

The stockpile ban is not a new turn. In June, Radev announced that the government was ending transfers of armaments from the Bulgarian Army, saying Sofia had “already provided enough.”

He told reporters in Dublin that defense manufacturers posted very high export volumes in 2022 and 2023, but that those figures had since declined steadily.

He attributed the drop to a shift in wartime demand, from ammunition produced in Bulgaria toward drones, and did not say commercial exports had stopped.

Humanitarian Terms Only

Bulgaria, he said, is prepared to discuss arrangements ensuring that any funds it might later contribute would go to humanitarian work, electricity supplies and medical assistance rather than weapons.

If Sofia were to act as a guarantor, he would insist on mechanisms directing support to the Bulgarian community in Ukraine, which he described as the largest historical Bulgarian community among EU states there.

Those needs, he argued, would not be met through investment in military equipment.

After meeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Varna earlier this week, he said Bulgaria still supports Ukraine through electricity exports, infrastructure repair and aid to Ukrainian families, as Clash Report previously reported.

Opposition Attacks Dublin Stance

The Dublin appearance also covered Bulgaria’s decision to back a French-led European security declaration while lodging reservations to its preamble over language on Ukraine peace talks.

GERB-UDF lawmaker Daniel Mitov said Radev’s explanations appeared directed at his “masters in the Kremlin.”

Democratic Bulgaria lawmaker Ivaylo Mirchev argued that the reservations reflected “fear of Moscow,” while GERB leader Boyko Borissov asked whether Bulgaria had even signed the declaration.