Bulgarian premier says country has ‘no place’ in Ukraine coalition of willing

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Tuesday that Bulgaria has “no place” in the so-called coalition of the willing supporting Ukraine, saying Sofia does not back continued military assistance and instead favors diplomatic efforts to end the war, Bulgarian News Agency BTA reported.

“I don’t believe Bulgaria’s place is in the coalition of the willing,” Radev told broadcaster bTV.

He said he had personally received an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to join Monday’s summit in Paris but chose not to participate.

“We’re not part of a coalition pushing for continued financial and military aid to Ukraine. We don’t provide aid of that kind, because I don’t believe the way to resolve this conflict is through a strong diplomatic effort to end the escalation rather than by prolonging it by military means,” he said.

Asked about a new European ballistic missile defense initiative announced in Paris, Radev said decisions affecting Bulgaria’s collective security are made within NATO and the EU.

“Bulgaria is actively involved in all these formats, wherever the decisions are actually made,” he said.

The coalition of the willing summit in Paris on Monday brought together about 25 leaders from more than 30 participating countries.