Bulgaria's new government decided in early June 2026 to stop supplying weapons from its military stock to Ukraine, shortly after taking office in April 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said, "It is not planned for the Bulgarian side to provide more weapons to the Ukrainian army. We have already stated clearly that the war in Ukraine will not be resolved on the battlefield... it is time to seek a just peace that is determined by both sides" [1]. He added Ukraine's urgent need is manpower rather than more military hardware [3].
Prime Minister Rumen Radev, whose coalition is known for a pro-Russian stance but pledged pro-EU policies, emphasized the halt on weapons supply from Bulgaria's domestic stocks to Ukraine and called for diplomatic solutions to the conflict [2, 5]. Radev criticized ongoing military aid and said, "We have already paid enough and our country continues to suffer the socio-economic losses brought about by this bloody war" [2]. He stated, "I am convinced that the war in Ukraine cannot be peacefully resolved through military means. Therefore, we again call for a comprehensive and pragmatic approach to this war and seek diplomatic solutions" [5].
Bulgaria had supplied Soviet-era weapons and ammunition to Ukraine indirectly through intermediaries in 2024 and 2025 but did not export arms directly in 2022 or 2023 [1, 4]. In March 2026, Bulgaria and Ukraine signed a 10-year bilateral security cooperation agreement covering joint defense production, intelligence sharing, and a gas energy corridor with a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters annually to Ukraine [1].
Despite the decision to stop weapon deliveries, Bulgaria plans to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2030 [4]. The new government, led by Radev's coalition, was sworn in after parliamentary elections in April 2026 [1, 4].
On June 10, 2026, Radev reiterated the halt on weapon supplies and again called for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict [2, 5]. Defense Minister Stoyanov made the initial government announcement on June 9 [1, 3, 4].
