Bulgaria refuses to join Macron's Coalition of the Willing, halts military aid to Ukraine

A personal invitation, publicly refused

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev was in Paris at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron to attend the 14 July Bastille Day military parade. Speaking to journalists before the parade, Radev confirmed he had received a personal invitation from Macron to join the Coalition of the Willing, a group of over 30 nations coordinating long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. He refused. "I personally received an invitation from President Macron to join the Coalition of the Willing, but I believe Bulgaria's place is not there because it is a coalition that insists on continued financial and military support for Ukraine," Radev said. He described the participation of the Bulgarian honour guard in the parade as "a sign of the extremely good relations between Bulgaria and France."

We are not part of a coalition that insists on the continuation of financial and military assistance to Ukraine. Bulgaria does not provide such aid because I believe the solution to this conflict lies not in its continuation by military means, but in a strong diplomatic initiative that ends the escalation as soon as possible.

A broader shift in Sofia's security posture

The refusal is the latest in a series of moves distancing Bulgaria from Western military support for Kyiv. On 9 June, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoianov announced Bulgaria would stop donating weapons to Ukraine, clarifying a day later that commercial arms sales would continue. The government has also scrapped a deal with Rheinmetall to build a gunpowder and munitions factory, an investment worth over 1 billion euros, according to RFI. Journalist Alexander Detev estimated Bulgaria stands to lose billions of euros by excluding itself from European defence projects and the eventual reconstruction of Ukraine. Radev, a former president and military pilot who won power in April, has repeatedly described Ukraine's cause as "doomed" and insisted the war cannot be won on the battlefield.

I believe the solution to this conflict does not lie in prolonging it by military means, but in a strong diplomatic mission.

Opposition warns of dangerous isolation

Reformist opposition figures in Sofia condemned the decision. Ivaylo Mirtchev of Democratic Bulgaria argued that "aid to Ukraine is not the opposite of diplomacy" and that "diplomacy is not possible without defence capabilities and without pressure on the aggressor." Historian Stefan Detchev went further, stating that "in this war too, Bulgaria will be on the side of the losers. For the fourth time after 1918, 1944 and 1989. This time because of Radev." Hristo Gadjev of the GERB party noted that Radev attended the reception for Coalition of the Willing representatives at the Élysée Palace even though he skipped the meeting itself, and insisted Radev was invited to the Bastille Day parade only because Bulgaria is, or at least was, a member of the coalition.

In this war too, Bulgaria will be on the side of the losers. For the fourth time after 1918, 1944 and 1989. This time because of Radev.

Missile defence coalition also rejected

Radev also distanced Bulgaria from the Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Defence Coalition, an initiative launched by ten European states including Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Spain to develop a common defence architecture against ballistic missile attacks. He insisted that collective security decisions must be taken within the established frameworks of the EU and NATO, where Bulgaria can exercise its political weight. "These decisions are taken within the European Union and NATO, where Bulgaria has its own role and its own influence," Radev said.

Sanctions and the wider European rift

Radev defended Sofia's willingness to threaten a veto over the latest EU sanctions package, after raising objections to the inclusion of several individuals including Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. "There is nothing wrong with a country defending its national interest in a collective framework," he stated. The Bulgarian position highlights growing divisions within the EU over Ukraine policy. While France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland push joint initiatives to strengthen military aid to Kyiv, Bulgaria is signalling a preference for diplomatic resolution and insists security decisions remain within NATO and EU structures. The Coalition of the Willing summit on 13 July was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council. Bulgaria's empty chair was conspicuous.