Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced Tuesday that Bulgaria doesn’t belong in the Coalition of the Willing, as his country’s guards marched alongside other European armed forces during Bastille Day celebrations hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Speaking to reporters in Paris, Radev — a Russia-aligned former Bulgarian president — said Macron had personally invited him to continue participating in the alliance, but he insisted that’s not “Bulgaria’s place.”
“We are not part of a coalition that insists on continued financial and military assistance to Ukraine,” Radev added, while hailing the participation of Bulgaria’s ceremonial Guards in the Bastille Day parade as “a sign of the extremely good relations between Bulgaria and France.”
“I believe the solution to this conflict is not in its prolongation by military means, but in a strong diplomatic mission,” the Bulgarian leader explained in the latest show of his skepticism toward military support for Kyiv.
Radev has been in power since his election victory in April. On June 9, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov announced Bulgaria would stop donating weapons to Ukraine, before clarifying a day later that commercial arms sales would continue. The prime minister has repeatedly argued the war cannot be won on the battlefield and has previously described Ukraine’s cause as “doomed.”
The prime minister insisted Bulgaria remained fully engaged in NATO and EU decision-making. He also defended Sofia’s willingness to threaten a veto over the EU’s latest sanctions package after raising objections to the inclusion of several individuals, including Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. “There’s nothing wrong with a country defending its national interest within a collective framework,” he said.
Macron invited leaders from across Europe to Paris to discuss continued support for Ukraine and attend the annual Bastille Day parade. Led by France and the U.K., the Coalition of the Willing brings together more than 30 countries seeking to coordinate long-term security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
