Bulgaria’s President Vetoes Agreement to Donate Military Vehicles to Ukraine

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev speaks to journalists after casting his vote in Sofia, on Nov. 21, 2021. Valentina Petrova/AP Photo

The president of Bulgaria has vetoed a previously signed agreement to provide Ukraine with armored vehicles drawn from the country’s stockpile of military equipment.

“These vehicles should be used to safeguard Bulgaria’s borders and help citizens in the event of disasters,” President Rumen Radev said on Dec. 4, according to Bulgaria’s BTA news agency. “The lives and safety of Bulgarian citizens should be our top priority.”

Under the agreement, dozens of armored vehicles would have been transferred—free of charge—to Ukraine’s defense ministry from Bulgaria’s interior ministry.

The deal was approved last month by Bulgaria’s Parliament, with 152 lawmakers from the country’s ruling coalition voting in favor; Fifty-seven opposition lawmakers reportedly voted against the proposal.

Mr. Rudev, a former army major general who has served as president since 2017, has referred the deal back to Parliament for reconsideration.

The conservative GERB party and the “Democratic Bulgaria” alliance, which are part of the country’s ruling coalition, both have voiced opposition to Mr. Rudev’s veto. Meanwhile, the Socialist Party and the ultranationalist Vazrazhdane (Revival) party have expressed support for the president’s move.

Veto Override Promised

Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov has reportedly pledged to overturn Mr. Rudev’s veto in Parliament.

In remarks to local media, parliamentary Speaker Rosen Zhelyazkov said Bulgaria’s ruling coalition had a sufficient majority to override the veto.

“The president’s position is predictable,” Mr. Zhelyazkov was cited as saying on Dec. 4.

“But so is that of the [parliamentary] majority, which will overturn his veto,” he added.

Mr. Zhelyazkov went on to assert that Sofia’s foreign policy is “based on principles enshrined in the national constitution—namely, support for a just international order.”

Since Russia invaded Ukraine early last year, Bulgaria—a NATO member since 2004—has remained a vocal supporter of Kyiv.

In March, local media reported that the government had “indirectly” supplied about $1 billion worth of military equipment to Ukraine via third countries.

Bulgaria made international headlines on Nov. 30 when the government refused to allow a plane carrying Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to cross its airspace.

The plane was forced to take a longer route—over Greece—to bring Mr. Lavrov to North Macedonia, where he attended a major European security summit.

Russia’s foreign ministry denounced the move by Bulgaria, warning Sofia that it was “setting a dangerous precedent.”

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban looks on during the EU-Western Balkans leaders' meeting in Brussels on June 23, 2022. Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images

Mr. Radev’s disinclination to provide Kyiv with additional military equipment appears in line with a broader European trend.

In September, Slovakia’s left-leaning SMER-SSD party, led by Robert Fico, came in first in the country’s parliamentary polls. An outspoken critic of unqualified support for Kyiv, Mr. Fico’s electoral campaign had featured the slogan: “Not one more bullet” for Ukraine.

In mid-November, Mr. Fico’s new government informed NATO—which Slovakia also joined in 2004—that it would no longer provide weapons to Ukraine from its stockpiles.

According to officials in Bratislava, the move is meant to allow Slovakia to “strengthen the capacities of its [own] armed forces.”

In a similar surprise in late November, the Netherlands’ Freedom Party, led by firebrand politician Geert Wilders, came in first in parliamentary elections.

Like Mr. Fico’s party in Slovakia, Mr. Wilders’ party seeks to reduce assistance to Ukraine, both financial and military.

In previous statements, Mr. Wilders has said that the Netherlands, also a NATO member, needs the equipment it sends to Ukraine to defend itself. Mr. Wilders and his party are now struggling to forge a ruling coalition with other like-minded political parties.

Change Expected in Netherlands Policy

Under the exiting Dutch administration, the Netherlands provided Ukraine with an estimated $7.6 billion worth of assistance.

The recent electoral upsets in Slovakia and the Netherlands are expected to bring the two countries’ foreign policies closer to those of Hungary.

Under nationalist leader Viktor Orban, Hungary has long been the only NATO member to oppose unqualified support for Ukraine. His stance contrasts sharply with the stated positions of both NATO and Washington.

On Dec. 3, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged the alliance’s 31 members to step up production of arms and munitions for Kyiv’s war effort.

“The more we support Ukraine, the faster the war [with Russia] will end,” he told German broadcaster ARD.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently issued a similar appeal.

“Ukraine’s high burn rate for artillery has hammered home the need to invest even more in munitions,” Mr. Austin said on Dec. 2.

“So compared to the defense budget from just five years ago, we’re putting nearly 50 percent more money into munitions,” he added.

“During this administration, America’s production of artillery shells won’t just increase. It won’t just double. It will quadruple.”