Bulgaria rejected calls from Ukraine for additional aid this week, with Prime Minister Kiril Petkov insisting that the country had “done enough” to help Ukraine following the Russian invasion on February 24. The Bulgarian PM vowed to continue to support Ukraine and fulfill its commitments to the country but said that no additional aid will be supplied.
“We’ll do what we have promised to do and there’s no need to reignite the debate every two weeks,” Petkov told Bulgarian reporters this week.
“We’ve supported the incoming refugees, we have sent all kinds of humanitarian aid, we have also been involved with repairing Ukraine’s heavy weapons and we’re in line with all sanctions against Russia,” Petkov continued, adding that the country has “done enough” and will continue to support the country without providing any weaponry to Ukraine.
What Aid Did Bulgaria Give to Ukraine?
While Bulgaria has expressed opposition to Russia’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine, its government has refrained from providing any weaponry or ammunition so far. Instead, Bulgaria agreed to use its factories to help repair Ukrainian heavy weapons and vehicles.
Bulgaria, a former Soviet state, didn’t provide weapons to Ukraine for a handful of reasons. Not only is the country less capable of providing heavy weaponry and aid than most NATO countries with larger economies and military capabilities, but the country’s coalition government risked collapse if Bulgarian Prime Minister Petkov agreed to send weapons to Ukraine.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), a Kremlin-friendly political party that forms part of the Bulgarian coalition government, threatened to topple the government if Bulgaria sent weapons to Ukraine. The move received support from Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, who argued that sending weapons would implicate Bulgaria in the war.
In response to concerns about the Bulgarian government collapsing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested a compromise deal. Writing to the Bulgarian Parliament, Zelenskyy proposed that Bulgaria should provide assistance in repairing and maintaining equipment and weapons used in the war against Ukraine – a deal that Sofia accepted.
As well as providing military-technical support to Ukraine, Bulgaria has so far provided humanitarian aid, as well as protective helmets and jackets for troops.
Prime Minister Petkov also said in April that Bulgarian citizens should consider engaging in charitable efforts to support Ukraine – a controversial move that attracted criticism from his political opponents.
“I’m opening a public campaign to gather financial funds for the Ukrainian government,” Petkov said in a statement shared on social media. “I’m calling on every Bulgarian citizen who truly wants to help Ukraine to donate their monthly salary, just as I did.”
With almost one-quarter of the Bulgarian population living in poverty, however, the prime minister’s plan was widely condemned.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
