Bulgaria will no longer be part of the so-called "coalition of the willing," a group of countries supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression, the country's Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, as reported by UNN citing Bloomberg.
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This step, it is noted, further distances the Balkan country from the majority of European Union countries that support Ukraine.
Radev, an outspoken critic of military aid to Ukraine, has repeatedly rejected accusations of adopting Russia's position in the war. He stated that he advocates for "pragmatic" relations with the Kremlin.
Bulgaria, which participated in previous coalition meetings, had no representative at the meeting in Paris.
"We are not participating in a coalition that insists on continuing financial and military aid to Ukraine," Radev told journalists on Tuesday. "The resolution of this conflict lies not in its prolongation by military means, but in a strong diplomatic mission that will finally put an end to the escalation."
Since taking office in May, Radev has halted military aid to Ukraine provided by the government, although he has not suspended arms sales to Ukraine. Bulgaria is one of the largest producers of Soviet-style ammunition in the EU, which was crucial for Ukraine in the early stages of the war, the publication notes.
Radev, according to the publication, has also opposed the imposition of EU sanctions against Russian Patriarch Kirill, as well as against oil magnate Vagit Alekperov, founder of PJSC Lukoil.