Bulgarian President Radev: supplying Ukraine with ammunition would be a mistake

According to the BNR, Rumen Radev made the remarks during a conversation with journalists after the opening of the three-day Green Week 2023 forum.

"When I represented Bulgaria in the EU Council, I defended this position - it became clear that Bulgaria is not part of the initiative of one million shells for Ukraine. If the government makes such a decision, I think it will be a mistake.

You can see that the conflict is escalating, it carries huge risks, and it is draining our economies and social systems. Both in Bulgaria and in Brussels, I argued that our country should not interfere in the war in Ukraine by supplying weapons," the president said. 

The issue of sending shells to Ukraine caused an absentee dispute between President Radev and Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov. The latter believes that Bulgaria should fulfill its obligations.

• On December 9, Reuters reported that Bulgaria would send Ukraine the first military aid package since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, which would include light weapons and ammunition.

• The Bulgarian government also approved about USD 20 million in additional funding for humanitarian support for Ukrainians who have taken temporary refuge in the country.

• On April 13, the EU Council approved the allocation of EUR 1 billion from the European Peace Fund to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including the provision of ammunition.

• In May, the EU countries announced an increase in the production of shells to one million units per year. Ukraine and EU members will receive the ammunition.

• On May 23, Josep Borrell also noted that since the beginning of the year, as part of the initiative to provide Ukraine with one million artillery rounds, the EU states have already transferred more than one-fifth of them, as well as missiles.