Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has vetoed the parliamentary-approved supply of armoured vehicles to Ukraine. This was reported by the Bulgarian bureau of Radio Liberty, citing a statement from the presidential office.
On 22 November, the Parliament ratified the free delivery of 100 armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine. The agreement was signed by the Bulgarian Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine in August 2023.
At that time, most factions voted for ratification - except for the Socialists and the pro-Russian Revival.
These APCs are about 40 years old and were used in the late 1980s during the campaign to forcibly relocate the country's Turkish population. The Bulgarian Interior Ministry called them obsolete.
But Radev said that the armoured vehicles could still be used in Bulgaria - for border protection or disaster relief.
"I am guided by the fact that the safety, health and life of Bulgarian citizens should be the top priority," he said, arguing for the veto.
Despite the veto, the parliament can insist on implementing the agreement.
Radev has not supported military assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In general, Bulgaria supports providing Ukrainians with equipment that is outdated for its own use.