Why is Bulgaria banning arms supplies to Ukraine?
Bulgaria's new government has banned state arms supplies to Ukraine. The ban does not, however, affect commercial exports, raising the question as to whether the
Bulgaria's new government has banned state arms supplies to Ukraine. The ban does not, however, affect commercial exports, raising the question as to whether the move was aimed more at a domestic audience than at Kyiv. When Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Tuesday that his country would no longer provide arms to Ukraine, the announcement felt like deja vu for many Bulgarians. In the months immediately following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Bulgarian officials insisted that "not a single bullet made in Bulgaria" was being sent to Ukraine. In practice, however, the country's defense industry significantly increased exports to intermediaries such as Poland and Czechia, which then supplied the weapons to Kyiv. The arrangement allowed Bulgaria's coalition government at the time to keep one of its pro-Russian constituent parties on board domestically while continuing to provide military supplies to Ukraine. What does the ban actually entail? The latest ban applies only to direct supplies from state stockpiles. It does not prevent Bulgaria's arms industry from exporting weapons to Ukraine. Bulgaria's Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov (center) justified the government's decision by saying that the country 'has no more weapons to give' Image: Nikolay Doychinov/AFP This raises the question as to whether the policy shift by the new government of former president Rumen Radev and his Progressive Bulgaria party is intended as a message to Kyiv or, once again, to the part of Bulgarian society that holds pro-Russian views. During a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, the defense minister justified the recent decision by saying that the country "has no more weapons to give" because its stockpiles are "below the minimum required level." Yet the timing of the announcement caused confusion because the minister also acknowledged that Kyiv had not requested any new state-supplied weapons since he took office in early May.
'Bulgaria has already given enough' As one of Prime Minister Rumen Radev's closest associates, Stoyanov's decision appears to reflect a broader line within the government. While Bulgaria has sent 13 military aid packages to Kyiv since the start of the war, Radev has consistently opposed further weapons deliveries to Ukraine, describing larger European-funded arms initiatives as a "doomed cause" in 2025. "We have already given enough, while our country continues to suffer socio-economic damage from this bloody war," Radev said on Wednesday, defending the government's decision. An economic or a political decision? However, by highlighting the economic consequences of the war for Bulgaria, Radev did not focus on the fact that military aid supplied from state stockpiles has been largely reimbursed through the European Peace Facility (EPF). During the tenure of former Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev (pictured here in Ukraine in 2023), Bulgaria started supplying its old Soviet-era arms and received modern NATO-standard military equipment in return Image: Nina Liashonok/Avalon/Photoshot/picture alliance In response to a DW inquiry, the Ministry of Defense said that Bulgaria received more than €3 million ($3.47 million) from the EPF in 2025 and 2026. In addition, trilateral agreements generated more than €200 million for the ministry's budget. According to the ministry, more than half of that amount was used to help cover the state budget deficit. "Through this mechanism, the Bulgarian Army and the Ministry of Defense received additional funds that could be reinvested in military modernization projects," former Defense Minister Todor Tagarev told DW. The country's private defense industry has also expanded sales significantly and, according to Peter Dilov, the minister of economics at the time, accounted for more than 4% of Bulgaria's GDP in 2024. During Tagarev's tenure between 2023 and 2024, Bulgaria started supplying its old Soviet-era arms and received modern NATO-standard military equipment in return.
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