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Bulgaria Halts Arms and Ammunition Supplies to Ukraine From Its Military Stockpiles
By Maya Wilson
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Bulgaria will stop supplying Ukraine with arms and ammunition from its military stockpiles and will provide no further financial assistance for weapons purchases, Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced Saturday, November 14, at the European Political Community summit in Dublin, Ireland.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the summit, Radev said Sofia could not continue providing weapons from the Bulgarian Army’s reserves. He also cited the country’s financial position as a reason it would not contribute new funding for Ukrainian weapons purchases.
“We will not provide any more weapons and ammunition from the Bulgarian Army’s stocks,” Radev said.
The announcement marks a restriction on Bulgaria’s direct military support for Ukraine. Radev said the country would not, however, block other European Union member states from providing financial assistance to Kyiv.
According to Ukrinform, citing the Bulgarian News Agency, Radev said Bulgaria was subject to the EU’s excessive deficit procedure and was experiencing problems with its financial reserves. Under the current circumstances, he said, Sofia could not provide additional financial assistance for weapons purchases.
Humanitarian support remains possible
Radev indicated that Bulgaria could consider contributions directed towards humanitarian and civilian needs rather than weapons. He said Sofia was prepared to discuss mechanisms that would ensure any potential Bulgarian support went towards humanitarian assistance, electricity supplies and medical aid.
He also set out a condition concerning any Bulgarian participation in providing financial guarantees. Radev said he would insist that such funds be allocated directly to supporting the Bulgarian community concentrated in several regions of Ukraine.
The remarks distinguish between military assistance and other forms of support. While Radev ruled out further weapons and ammunition from Bulgarian military stocks and new financial assistance for weapons purchases, he left open discussions about contributions for civilian needs.
He did not announce a new humanitarian funding package or specify an amount that Bulgaria would provide. The available report also does not detail how any proposed mechanism would operate or how funds would be distributed.
Bulgaria’s position therefore leaves room for discussion of non-military assistance while drawing a clear line against further direct financing of weapons purchases under the current circumstances.
Defence exports reflect changing demand
Radev also discussed the position of Bulgaria’s defence industry, saying exports from Bulgarian defence manufacturers had been very high in 2022 and 2023 but had since begun to decline.
He linked the change to the evolving nature of the war in Ukraine and the types of equipment being sought. In the earlier phase, demand for Bulgarian-made ammunition had been enormous, he said. More recently, the need for drones had been increasing.
His comments offered an explanation for the changing export picture, but did not include figures for current sales, identify individual manufacturers or specify the scale of the decline.
The shift he described reflects a difference between the ammunition demand that had benefited Bulgarian defence producers in the first years of the full-scale war and the growing importance of unmanned systems in the conflict. Radev did not announce a new policy on drone exports in the remarks reported by Ukrinform.
Earlier decision on European funding
The announcement also follows an earlier decision by the Bulgarian government to refrain from further financing lethal weapons for Ukraine through the European Peace Facility. Ukrinform reported that Bulgaria had said it would provide funding only for non-lethal assistance through that arrangement.
Saturday’s remarks set out the government’s position on direct supplies from military stockpiles and additional financial support for weapons purchases. They also reaffirmed that Bulgaria would not obstruct other EU countries that choose to support Ukraine financially.
Radev’s comments leave the immediate policy distinction clear: Bulgaria will end further arms and ammunition supplies from its military stocks and will not provide new financial assistance for weapons purchases, while remaining open to discussions about humanitarian, electricity and medical support.
The announcement did not include a timetable for any remaining deliveries or further details about the proposed civilian assistance mechanisms.
Maya Wilson
World Desk Lead, The Library Media
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