Bulgaria's new defence minister halts arms shipments to Ukraine, calls for negotiations with Moscow

Policy reversal in Sofia

Bulgaria's new defence minister, Dimitar Stoyanov, announced on Tuesday that the country will not supply additional weapons to Ukraine, reversing a policy that saw Sofia send anti-tank missiles, armoured vehicles, mortars, anti-aircraft guns, howitzers and infantry weapons to Kyiv in 2024 and 2025. The announcement was made as Stoyanov presented the priorities of his ministry under the government of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, a former president sworn in last month after his party's decisive victory in April elections.

We have already stated clearly that the war in Ukraine will not be resolved on the battlefield. We are witnessing a war of attrition, and no matter how many weapons are accumulated, the only result is loss of human life.

Stoyanov said it is time to sit at the negotiating table and seek a just peace determined by both sides. He added that Ukraine needs more people, not more weapons, and that Kyiv already has enough arms.

Bulgaria's role as a Soviet-calibre arsenal

Bulgaria has been one of Europe's most important producers of Soviet-type munitions compatible with Ukraine's existing arsenal. In September 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that roughly one third of the weaponry used by Kyiv came, directly or indirectly, from Bulgarian production. Between 2022 and 2023, Sofia avoided publicly announcing direct arms shipments, instead exporting to European intermediaries, with officials saying they could not control what buyers did with those exports. Bulgarian authorities approved at least 13 military assistance packages for Ukraine after 2022, though their value and contents were not made public.

Ukraine needs more people, not more weapons. It has enough weapons, so we do not plan to provide more to the Ukrainian army.

The Radev government's stance

Rumen Radev, the new prime minister and former president, has for years opposed arming Ukraine and called for a diplomatic resolution. Before the April elections, he advocated for practical relations with Russia based on mutual respect and equal treatment, and criticised the security agreement with Ukraine. After being sworn in, Radev pledged to follow pro-EU policies, though his party's platform includes re-evaluating sanctions against Moscow, which he has argued harm European states as much as Russia.

The March security agreement

In March 2026, Ukraine and Bulgaria signed a 10-year bilateral security cooperation agreement covering joint defence production, intelligence sharing, and an energy corridor designed to route up to 10 billion cubic metres of gas annually to Ukraine. Stoyanov's announcement did not address the status of that agreement. There was no immediate response from Kyiv to the minister's statements.

Defence spending plans

Stoyanov also outlined Bulgaria's plan to raise defence spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2030, with 3.5 percentage points allocated to direct military expenditure and 1.5 percentage points to defence-related spending such as infrastructure and cybersecurity. Defence spending stood at 2.13 percent of GDP last year, and the government expects it to reach 2.15 percent this year.

European reaction and mediator role

Stoyanov acknowledged that the European Union's role is extremely important, but said it would be difficult to imagine the EU acting as a mediator because it has helped Ukraine in its war effort. The policy shift is being watched closely by Western partners, given Bulgaria's strategic position on the Black Sea and its status as a NATO and EU member state.