Arms supplies benefit not only Ukraine but also Bulgaria, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry says amid the Bulgarian government’s statements

He added that Ukraine is not currently receiving any free aid from Bulgaria and is cooperating with the country exclusively on a commercial basis.

“Ukrainian-Bulgarian defence cooperation continues on a commercial basis, which is mutually beneficial for both Ukraine and Bulgaria. We expect this cooperation to continue,” the spokesperson said.

According to Tykhyi, cooperation with Bulgarian defence companies is valuable because it allows Ukraine to achieve peace more quickly.

Earlier, Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said that the country plans to halt arms supplies to Ukraine and called for a "just peace that will be defined by both sides participating in the conflict." His position is also supported by Bulgaria’s newly appointed Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who, among other things, advocates for the lifting of European sanctions against Russia.

More about Rumen Radev

Radev resigned as president in January. Prior to that, amid the largest government protests in the country’s history, the Bulgarian government, led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, also resigned.

According to the FT, during his presidency, he was reluctant to condemn Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and opposed Bulgaria’s accession to the eurozone.

French liberal, member of the European Parliament, Valérie Hayer, then told the media in an interview that she is deeply concerned about Radev’s victory in the parliamentary elections, calling him “Putin’s Trojan horse in Europe.”