Bulgaria’s new government to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria will not send any more weapons to Ukraine, the Balkan country’s Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Tuesday.

“We have already made it clear that the war in Ukraine will not be resolved on the battlefield,” Stoyanov told reporters in Sofia. “What we are witnessing is a war of attrition, and no matter how much weaponry is amassed, its only result is the loss of human lives.”

He added: “Ukraine needs more people, not more weapons. It has enough weapons, so we do not envisage providing more weapons to the Ukrainian army.”

Prime Minister Rumen Radev, whose government took office after a landslide victory in April, has been for years opposing arming Ukraine and calling instead for “diplomatic solutions.”

Bulgaria, which is member of NATO and the European Union, has been providing military aid Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. The shipments of mostly Soviet-era weaponry played an important role at the early stages of the war. Due to political controversies at home the shipments had been made mainly through third countries.

Stoyanov said it was time to sit down at the negotiating table “to seek a just peace that is defined by both sides.”

“Of course, the role of the EU is extremely important,” he said, adding that “it would be difficult to assign this role to that of a mediator for the simple reason that the EU has also assisted Ukraine in its efforts in this war anyway.”

Stoyanov also announced Bulgaria plans to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2030.