Bulgarian president to skip NATO summit over differences regarding arms supplies to Ukraine

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has refused to be part of the country's delegation to the NATO summit to be held in Washington in July. The head of state does not agree with the commitments that Sofia should make to help Ukraine in the war with Russia.

This was reported by the President's Office on Thursday, June 27, according to the Bulgarian service of Radio Liberty. They noted that the reason for this decision "is the side he has to defend regarding assistance to Ukraine."

According to the publication, a day earlier, the Bulgarian government made a decision in which it invited Radev to lead the country's delegation to the NATO summit. It also mentioned that he should "present the framework positions" adopted by the government and, on their basis, "approve and/or endorse" the documents.

"The head of state does not accept some of the provisions of the framework positions adopted by the Council of Ministers on the commitments assumed by our country regarding the war in Ukraine," Radev's press service said in a statement.

At the same time, neither the president nor the government of Bulgaria voiced what exactly these framework positions are.

The journalists write that Radev has long defended those who share the Kremlin's position on the war in Ukraine, namely that sending military aid to Kyiv allegedly prolongs the war, and that supporters of helping the Ukrainian resistance are "warmongers."

This contradicts Bulgaria's official position. Previous regular governments, as well as the parliamentary majority, have supported Kyiv's efforts to defend itself against Russian military aggression and have voted for several decisions to provide military assistance to Ukraine.

The article also says that the dispute over the Bulgarian delegation to the NATO summit has been going on for the past few days. Last week, the government decided to send acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev to the summit alongside Rumen Radev.

Glavchev suggested that Radev should lead the country's delegation to Washington.

Bulgaria's constitution stipulates that the country should be represented at the international level by the executive branch, which is currently headed by Dimitar Glavchev.

As reported, earlier, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg said that the leaders of the Alliance should support long-term financing of assistance to Ukraine in the war against the aggressor country Russia at the summit in Washington. He emphasized that the top priority will be to strengthen support for Ukraine.

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