Bulgaria officially refuses to give Ukraine ammunition
Acting defense minister Dimitar Stoyanov has rejected the request of European Union member states to provide ammunition to Kyiv.
"We cannot undermine the needs of the Bulgarian army. The Ministry of Defense has a certain quota for ammunition we must maintain," insisted Stoyanov in response to a question about a letter from the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy and Security Josep Borel about possibly providing ammunition to Ukraine.
Bulgaria, however, was widely believed to have been selling arms to Ukraine via unofficial channels in the past months.
Eurozone entry unlikely in 2024
Bulgaria's admission to the eurozone in mid-2024 does not seem realistic, according to the executive vice-president of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis. This scenario has been mooted in recent days along with the admission that Sofia was unable to meet the membership criteria from January 1, 2024.
Dombrovskis said it was unlikely that the inflation criteria would be met at any point in 2024. Bulgaria's inflation rate peaked at just under 20% at the end of last year.
Radev meets Biden in Poland
President Rumen Radev, who represented Bulgaria at the meeting of the leaders of nine countries on NATO's eastern flank in Warsaw with US President Joe Biden, has stated that military action is not enough to win peace in Ukraine.
"We do not only need a comprehensive strategy on how to stop Russia's war against Ukraine, but also for how to achieve peace afterwards. The focus should be on achieving a rational balance between military, economic and diplomatic goals," Radev told the US president.
Bulgaria officially refuses to give Ukraine ammunition
Acting defense minister Dimitar Stoyanov has rejected the request of European Union member states to provide ammunition to Kyiv.
