Caretaker PM: It is not true that Bulgaria will become an ‘indefinite donor’ to Ukraine

There is no way that Bulgaria will become an open-ended donor to Ukraine, at least because funds must be provided in the state Budget and approved by MPs, caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev told reporters in Parliament on July 5.

Glavchev was speaking after, on July 4, President Roumen Radev said: “I do not accept that the government will turn Bulgaria into an indefinite donor of the war in Ukraine, until final victory, without those who have prepared and accepted this position being clear about what final victory means and how it will be achieved.

“I have never stood behind inadequate and spineless positions, and for that reason I refused to go and defend one at the Nato summit,” Radev said.

The caretaker government had proposed that both Glavchev and Radev attend the Nato Summit in Washington DC on July 9-11, with Radev as head of delegation, but Radev has refused, citing disagreement with the government’s policy for the summit.

“The Bulgarian government owes an explanation not only to the MPs, but to all Bulgarian citizens, what commitments it undertakes on their behalf for the war in Ukraine,” he said.

Glavchev said that Bulgarian could undertake financial commitments only if provided for in the Budget and if such sums were not approved, they could not be released.

He said that the Bulgarian position for the forum in Washington indicated an indicative sum of 80 million euro, but this or any sums could be paid only after approval by Parliament.

“We are going to the summit in Washington with the decisions of the National Assembly that have been adopted so far, I undertake that the Bulgarian delegation will not deviate from these decisions,” Glavchev said.

He said that it was in accordance with the decisions of Parliament that Bulgaria provides military technical assistance to Kyiv.

Glavchev once again gave an assurance that no Bulgarian military personnel would be sent to Ukraine.

A day earlier, caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov – also responding to disinformation stoked on social media and by pro-Kremlin propagandists – told Parliament that sending Bulgarian troops to Ukraine had not been discussed, was not being discussed, and would not be discussed.

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