No More Weapons for Ukraine
It is becoming increasingly clear that the politicians of Progressive Bulgaria are reading from and reciting the same script – one written either by the Russian propaganda machine itself or by people who are devoted admirers of it and eager to win the approval of Putin’s regime. Here, you can trace the exact quotations – from Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, through Rumen Radev and Ivo Hristov, all the way to the Kremlin.
On 9 June 2026, Bulgaria’s Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov of Progressive Bulgaria, announced that the country will no longer export weapons to Ukraine. He stated:
“The war in Ukraine will not be decided on the battlefield. We are witnessing a positional war, and no matter how much weaponry is accumulated, the only result is the loss of human lives. It is time to sit down at the negotiating table. It is time to seek a just peace – and that just peace must be determined by the two sides participating in the conflict.”
He went on to explain that the European Union would struggle to act as a mediator because it is assisting Ukraine.
“Ukraine needs more people, not more weapons. It already has enough weaponry from our team, so we do not envisage providing any additional weapons to the Ukrainian army.”
These words sound almost identical to remarks made by Rumen Radev during an interview with the openly pro-Putin journalist Martin Karbovski on 7 April 2026:
“Modern warfare is becoming increasingly complex. If we look at the situation unfolding on the front line in Ukraine, the Americans call this type of war ‘boots on the ground warfare’ – in other words, you need boots on the ground. That is why the illusion that continuously pouring weapons into Ukraine will somehow help Ukraine is coming to an end, because the most important asset in this war is not missiles, not bombs, but people.“
In the same interview, Radev described sanctions against Russia as purely ideological, stating:
“Europe has become hostage to its own ambition to be a moral leader in a world without rules, because there are no longer any rules in our world – there are only interests.”
Radev also argued that Europe must abandon the “ideology” of sanctions if it wishes to remain economically successful:
“From a purely geographical, economic, resource and market perspective, we must restore [relations with Russia] if we want Europe to have security.”
“Circumstances will force Europe, if it wants to remain a player on the geopolitical stage, to return to the fastest, cheapest and most logical source of energy resources – and that, naturally, is Russia.“
The recital does not end there. Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov also weighed in on the issue of weapons for Ukraine. Speaking on Panorama on 24 April 2026, he said:
“Bulgaria is under no moral or political obligation to participate in prolonging this bloodshed.“
“We are not obliged to participate […] with money or with the supply of ammunition. In my view, this is impractical and it is also immoral.“
What these politicians fail to mention is that arms sales to Ukraine support a significant number of households in Bulgaria. Asked about the impact that halting deliveries would have on people working in the defence industry, Ivo Hristov replied:
“We do not represent only the voters employed by military factories. And military factories have other markets as well.”
Perhaps all of these talking points sound familiar from before Progressive Bulgaria even existed. That is because they are talking points that Moscow was using long before Radev became Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
As early as 2022, shortly after the war began, Putin stated that sanctions against Russia had harmed the economies of the very Western countries that imposed them.
In 2023, Putin stated that Western weapons deliveries to Kyiv would not change the course of the war. According to him, Western arms supplies had only increased international tensions and prolonged the conflict.
In 2025, the Kremlin stated that every new tightening of European sanctions against Russia would have a more painful impact on the economies of European countries themselves.
On 4 June 2026, Putin told reporters that:
“It would be better to bring the war to an end altogether by reaching the compromises that were discussed in Anchorage.”
On 10 June 2026, speaking to bTV, Dimitar Stoyanov clarified that Bulgaria will stop providing weapons and ammunition from the stockpiles of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, but not commercial sales. When asked directly whether Ukraine would still be able to purchase weapons from Bulgaria, he replied that this was a matter for the Ministry of Economy.
Based on his own assessment, Stoyanov stated that Bulgaria was no longer in a position to provide additional equipment and weapons to “the Ukrainian side.”
Shortly afterwards, Rumen Radev commented on the situation, stating:
“We have already given enough, and our country continues to suffer socio-economic damage from this blood-soaked war. We are convinced that a peaceful solution will not be achieved through military means. That is why we once again call for a comprehensive and realistic approach to this war and for the pursuit of a diplomatic solution. Strengthening the rule of law, democratic institutions, and the defence capabilities of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, rather than pouring more resources into this war, is the real investment in Bulgaria’s European future.”
His remarks echo Putin’s claims that sanctions ultimately harm the countries that impose them. The narrative is reframed around the idea that ending support for Ukraine is in the best interests of Bulgarian citizens, while ignoring the reasons why that support is being provided in the first place.
Meanwhile, Russian media were quick to report the news, highlighting precisely those statements that reflected Kremlin positions. One example can be found on dzen.ru:
“Minister Stoyanov’s position aligns with that of Prime Minister Rumen Radev. He has repeatedly spoken out against military assistance to Kyiv and, in 2017, while serving as president, called for all sanctions against Russia to be lifted, citing the damage they cause to the economies of European countries.”
The statements made by these politicians make it clear whose message Bulgaria’s government is echoing. A member state of the European Union now, regrettably, sounds like a backing vocalist for a worn-out propaganda machine that fewer and fewer people still believe.
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