Bulgarian President Rumen Radev stated on Tuesday his firm position against sending military aid to Ukraine, reports Dnevnik newspaper, quoted by Rador.

According to the demands of the political forces, the draft parliamentary resolution on such a step is expected from the Democratic Bulgaria party. Support is also expected from the deputy formations of GERB, “Continue the changes” and “Movement for rights and freedoms”.

Today, only two European countries refuse to provide direct military aid to Ukraine – Bulgaria and Hungary.

In May, the previous parliament decided that Bulgaria would provide humanitarian, financial and military-technical assistance to Ukraine, depending on the possibilities. According to the text submitted by the “Continuing Changes” formation, the military-technical aspects include only measures to repair Ukrainian equipment at Bulgarian military enterprises, and it is not yet known whether they have been implemented.

“Democratic Bulgaria” has already come into conflict with Radev, sharply condemning his decision not to sign a statement against Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories.

This is not the first time the president has spoken out against sending aid, and in March he noted that it would directly involve Bulgaria in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Radev said this after an official ceremony at the Novo Selo training ground, which marked the capture by Italian representatives of the NATO battle group stationed in Bulgaria.

Rumen Radev: “The idea that if we give weapons to Ukraine, we will receive weapons as a gift from NATO betrays dangerous naivety or serious incompetence”

In a critical tone, he commented on the state of armament of the Bulgarian servicemen. “The delay in modernization is primarily the result of the postponement and abandonment of numerous programs that have been developed and are being developed by the top military leadership. Military expertise is systematically violated by powerful persons. The requirements for the authorities in Bulgaria must exclude the incompetence and lies that some people constantly spread. The same people were members of several governments and parliaments. They stopped modernizing for years. Now these same people are in a hurry to supply weapons to Ukraine without introducing anything new, and in this way they are in a hurry to deprive us of what we have now. For me, this is an unworthy position,” said Radev.

He added that the provision of weapons by the Bulgarian military to Ukraine without the introduction of new replacement models will lead to a deepening of the capacity deficit for a long time, and that in the context of the deterioration of the security environment not only in northern Bulgaria, but also in the Balkans.

“The idea that if we give weapons to Ukraine, we will receive weapons as a gift from NATO betrays dangerous naivety or gross incompetence. These are complex processes that last for years, and you will have to pay for it,” said Rumen Radev.

According to the President of Bulgaria, there is no more room for excuses for postponing modernization. “For three decades, Bulgarian politicians have reformed the army according to their economic considerations, we know the result: drastic cuts, lack of funding and new weapons, lack of capabilities and limited interoperability,” he said. Radev urged not to politicize the problems of the Bulgarian army in any way and to at least work unitedly in this area.

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