Bulgaria's new defence minister halts state arms deliveries to Ukraine, calls for negotiations

The announcement

Bulgaria's new defence minister, Dimitar Stoyanov, declared on Tuesday that the country would halt deliveries of arms and ammunition from Bulgarian army depots to Ukraine. Speaking to journalists in Sofia, he stated that the war had become a war of attrition and could not be resolved on the battlefield.

We have already stated clearly that the war in Ukraine will not be resolved on the battlefield. We are witnessing a war of attrition. Regardless of how many weapons are accumulated, the only result is loss of human life.

Stoyanov added that Ukraine needs more people, not more weapons, and that Kyiv already has sufficient armaments. He called for both sides to sit at the negotiating table and pursue a just peace defined by the warring parties.

Sales continue

A clarification emerged on Wednesday when Stoyanov told Bulgarian broadcaster bTV that the suspension applies only to deliveries from army stockpiles, not to commercial sales. Bulgarian defence companies will still be permitted to sell arms and ammunition to Ukraine.

We are suspending the delivery of arms and ammunition from Bulgarian army depots. The key word is delivery, not sale.

This distinction is significant because Bulgaria is one of Europe's largest producers of Soviet-calibre ammunition, the type used extensively by Ukrainian forces. Since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Bulgaria's defence industry output has grown by 200%, generating between 2% and 4% of the country's GDP by 2025.

The Radev government

Prime Minister Rumen Radev, a former fighter pilot and ex-president, won an absolute majority in April's parliamentary elections. He has long opposed arming Ukraine and has called for diplomatic solutions since the invasion began. Radev has also criticised the effectiveness of sanctions against Moscow, arguing they harm European states as much as Russia, and has advocated for practical relations with Moscow based on mutual respect.

Before the election, Radev criticised the 10-year bilateral security agreement Ukraine and Bulgaria signed in March 2026, which includes joint defence production, intelligence sharing, and an energy corridor designed to route up to 10 billion cubic metres of gas annually to Ukraine.

Bulgaria's military aid history

Bulgaria, a NATO and EU member on the Black Sea, has been a significant indirect and direct supplier to Ukraine. In 2022 and 2023, Sofia avoided officially exporting weapons to Kyiv, instead routing shipments through European intermediaries. From late 2022 through 2024, the Bulgarian parliament approved at least 13 military assistance packages, though their value and contents were not made public.

In 2024 and 2025, Bulgaria sent anti-tank missiles, armoured vehicles, mortars, anti-aircraft guns, howitzers, and infantry weapons directly to Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated in September 2025 that roughly one-third of the weaponry used by Kyiv originated, directly or indirectly, from Bulgarian production.

Defence spending and EU role

Stoyanov also announced that Bulgaria plans to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2030, with 3.5% allocated to direct military expenditure and 1.5% to defence-related areas such as infrastructure and cybersecurity. Defence spending stood at 2.13% of GDP last year and is projected at 2.15% this year.

On the EU's potential role, Stoyanov acknowledged the bloc's importance but expressed doubt about its ability to act as a mediator, given that the EU has supported Ukraine's war effort. There was no immediate response from Kyiv to the Bulgarian announcement.