The Bulgarian government, appointed in May, plans to stop arms supplies to Ukraine.
Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told reporters during a briefing in Sofia, Bloomberg reported.
Stoyanov said that Ukraine needs more people, not more weapons, and called for a just peace that would be determined by both sides.
His comments echo the position of new Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who was president until January and has repeatedly opposed military support for Ukraine from the European Union, that the course of the war will not be decided on the battlefield.
He also called for the lifting of sanctions against Russia, as they are harming the European economy. Radev promised to strengthen Bulgariaʼs role in joint European decisions, which probably also applies to Ukraine.
Bulgaria is one of the largest producers of Soviet-style ammunition among EU countries, which was extremely important for Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale war.
Although the government officially refused to provide direct military assistance at the time, Bulgarian shells reached the front lines through exports to other EU countries. Since 2022, Bulgaria has sent 13 packages of military aid, but has kept their cost and contents secret.
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