Ukraine Minister’s Visit to Bulgaria Reignites Debate on Military Aid

The Bulgarian government takes its oath in parliament. Photo: EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

"We're against a policy that marginalises Bulgaria and causes the country to be defined by cowardice," said Democratic Bulgaria's co-leader Hristo Ivanov.

Atanas Slavov, another member of the party, said that "if parliament doesn't approve sending weapons, Democratic Bulgaria might rethink its presence in the coalition".

Bulgaria's ruling coalition has been divided on increasing military aid to Ukraine by sending weapons.

Democratic Bulgaria is currently the only one of the four parties in the alliance which openly support sending weaponry - We Continue the Change and There's Such a People have not made definitive statements on the topic, while the Bulgarian Socialist Party is firmly against further military help.

So far Bulgaria has been sending helmets and bulletproof vests, as well as humanitarian aid, but no weaponry. On Wednesday evening, a parliamentary commission voted against sending munitions.

Opinions have been sharply divided on the government's reaction after Dmytro Kuleba's visit to Sofia on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Particular attention was paid to Kuleba's briefing with President Rumen Radev on Wednesday.

Radev described the Russian invasion as a "brothers' war", to which Kuleba remarked that it can only be described in that way if Radev sees Russia and Ukraine like the Biblical characters Cain and Abel.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian Foreign Minister and member of There's Such a People Teodora Genchovska described Bulgaria as too insignificant in the wider context to contribute much.

"Bulgaria is a small country, we're helping as much as we can," Genchovska said.

This rhetoric that Bulgaria was quickly...