Bulgaria to End State Weapons Transfers to Ukraine, Shifts Toward Diplomacy

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Sofia: With a major shift to its wartime strategy, the Bulgarian newly elected government has declared that it will no longer provide Ukraine with weapons from its state military stockpiles.

Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov announced that the nation ‘will not send any more weapons’ to Kyiv, insisting that talks should take precedence over further military escalation as a means of resolving the situation. He declared that Ukraine ‘needs more people, not more weapons’ and warned that sending extra weaponry will only make the conflict worse.

The decision contradicts Bulgaria's recent policy of providing Ukraine with weapons and ammunition from the Soviet era, often through allies or middlemen. According to officials, Bulgaria's viable stockpiles have already been significantly reduced by such imports.

According to sources, the Bulgarian defence sector may still export weapons commercially under current agreements and EU frameworks even though direct state deliveries have stopped.

The policy shift, which comes after Sofia's new government was established, is indicating a larger political trend in favour of a peaceful end to the conflict.

Since Russia's complete takeover of Ukraine in 2022, Bulgaria, a member of both NATO and the EU, has established itself as a major supplier of military supplies from the former Eastern Bloc.