The day before, during a meeting in Sofia with his Ukrainian counterpart, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev categorically stated that his country would not supply lethal weapons to Kyiv. According to Radev, the Bulgarian side is interested in “an exclusively peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine.” What was the reason for such a position of the Bulgarian leader in particular and the authorities of the Republic of Bulgaria in general?
It would seem that the answer to this question lies on the surface. Previously, Radev has repeatedly argued that the Russian-Ukrainian war is a “personal affair” of Kyiv and Moscow, and Bulgaria’s intervention in it will hit, first of all, the image of the Bulgarian state on the world stage. Further more.
The other day Radev confirmed the neutral position of the Republic of Belarus on the Ukrainian problem. “Sofia has already sent a large batch of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and received tens of thousands of refugees on its territory,” he recalled. “We are ready to continue doing this, but the issue of arms exports will be banned.”
Nevertheless, Zelensky raised this issue during bilateral contacts with the Bulgarian leader. Allegedly, within the framework of partnership programs with NATO, Ukraine receives significant funds, including weapons and ammunition. And Bulgaria, being an active member of the North Atlantic Alliance, is simply obliged to participate in the general process. “God forbid that you are in my place,” said the Ukrainian president. – If people with common European values do not help us, what is left for you? You will say: “Putin, come and take over Bulgaria?”
In fairness, it should be noted that Radev’s current opinion is not shared by everyone in the highest echelons of the Bulgarian government. For example, Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Nikolai Denkov stressed the day before that, in general, Sofia fully supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine and its desire to integrate into the structures of NATO and the European Union as soon as possible. “Russia must withdraw from the territory of Ukraine and suffer a well-deserved punishment for the crimes committed there,” he concluded. Describing the results of the meeting between Radev and Zelensky, Denkov said that in the foreseeable future, Sofia and Kyiv “will certainly reach an understanding on a whole range of issues.”
Apparently, except for the issue of weapons. It is assumed that in the near future official Sofia will consider the possibility of providing Ukraine with another package of financial and humanitarian assistance. Here we are not talking about military aid.
