Bulgarian Socialist President Rumen Radev, who is often accused of being pro-Russian, vetoed a law providing for the supply of armored personnel carriers to Ukraine and sent the text back to parliament for a new discussion, citing national security interests, Novinite.com reports, citing News.ro.

A ratified agreement to supply 100 armored personnel carriers, signed in August 2023 in Sofia and then in Kyiv in November, won parliamentary approval, but Radev’s veto requires a second vote on the issue.

Justifying his decision, Radev emphasized the need for a more thorough analysis of the role of the respective vehicles in protecting Bulgaria’s borders and helping citizens in emergency situations and disasters. Radev believes that the parliamentarians did not have a “comprehensive understanding of the specifics of the donation,” which reduced the ability of the deputies to “perfectly assess the need” for the equipment.

The report of the parliamentary defense committee emphasizes that the agreement provides for the supply to Ukraine of armored vehicles and spare parts that were no longer used by the Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“This veto will be overcome, so I don’t see anything to comment on,” the pro-European Prime Minister of Bulgaria Nikolay Denkov said in response.

During the ratification process of the agreement, there were obvious differences of opinion among the deputies, especially between different political groups. Despite the approval of the majority, some parliamentary factions expressed their reservations or against the donation.

“President Rumen Radev’s decision to veto the supply of armored vehicles to Ukraine can be described in one word – shame!” – commented the president of the ruling parliamentary group “Movement for Rights and Freedoms” Delyan Peevsky.

“After this decision, it became even clearer how important it is for Bulgaria to have a Euro-Atlantic parliamentary majority and a Euro-Atlantic government supported by it. Because everything else can lead our country down a different, non-European and dangerous path – to Moscow, to Putin, where pro-Russian politicians want to capture him,” said Peevsky.

Parliament can cancel the president’s veto on the supply of 100 armored vehicles

According to the politician, the parliament will override the president’s veto this week.

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Gabriel expressed her regret about the presidential veto on the agreement on the free supply of armored vehicles to Ukraine. She emphasized that there is no real need for 100 armored personnel carriers provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the decision was agreed with the relevant structures so that Bulgaria’s position was clear and in solidarity with Ukraine.

“It is only a matter of time before the National Assembly does its job. Based on the previous debates, I do not expect a change in the position of the National Assembly,” Gabriel said.

In July, during a visit to Sofia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi sharply responded to his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev’s statements caught on camera, after the Bulgarian president called the war in Ukraine a “conflict” and publicly confirmed his opposition to sending weapons from the national stockpile to Kyiv .