PM Radev ends further arms supplies to Ukraine
Baku, June 10, AZERTAC
The Government is ending the provision of weapons from the Bulgarian Army to Ukraine, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at the start of a regular cabinet meeting, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported on Wednesday.
“We have already given enough. The country continues to suffer socio-economic damage from this bloody war. We are convinced that a peaceful solution cannot be achieved by military means, so we once again call for a comprehensive, realistic approach and for efforts to seek a diplomatic solution,” Radev said.
Radev also said strengthening the rule of law, democratic institutions and the defence capabilities of the Bulgarian Army, rather than pouring more money into the war, was the real investment in the country’s European future. He added that the Government’s main priority was the security and well-being of Bulgarian citizens.
Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Tuesday that the Government had no plans to provide additional weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Stoyanov said it was time to sit down at the negotiating table and seek a just peace. Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova clarified earlier on Wednesday that any future support for Ukraine, whether military-technical or humanitarian, would require a Council of Ministers decision and debate in the National Assembly.
The position drew criticism from GERB, Democratic Bulgaria (DB) and Continue the Change Floor Leader Nikolay Denkov. GERB said the issue concerned Bulgaria’s place in Europe, while DB MP Ivaylo Mirchev called the halt a strategic mistake for Bulgaria’s security. Denkov said he would ask Prime Minister Rumen Radev to clarify the government’s position, noting that Bulgaria had previously provided military support to Ukraine under institutional decisions.
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