Bulgarian President Rumen Radev opposes arms aid to Ukraine and its accession to NATO. However, most members of the new parliament have a different position, and Radev may soon have to agree with it, writes Free Europe (Radio Liberty).
Bulgaria and Hungary are the only NATO countries that do not provide military support to Ukrainians. And the Bulgarian president is the only member of the Alliance in the region that has not signed a support declaration for Ukraine's membership in the bloc.
"In recent months, Bulgaria has been practically ruled by Rumen Radev and the interim government appointed by him. However, after the elections on 2 October, a new National Assembly appeared in the country, and the majority in it does not share Radev's position. There are already signs that the deputies may change Bulgaria's position, and this will mean that the president and the interim government will have to follow it. The Constitution says that Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic," the journalists noted.
The majority of MPs in Bulgaria's new parliament support Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia seven months ago, and agree with the appeal of nine Central and Eastern European presidents to accept Kyiv into NATO. However, the president and the interim government have the opposite position. Radev said that Ukraine's accession to the bloc can be discussed only after the war, and sending weapons to Ukrainians would mean " getting involved" in the war.
Radev has been the president of Bulgaria since 2017. In 2021, he won the election for the second time. He has the rank of general. Radev was nominated for president by the Socialist Party. He supported the illegal annexation of Crimea.