Bulgaria’s parliament adopted a declaration on Friday ruling out the participation of Bulgarian armed forces in military operations on Ukrainian territory, with 166 lawmakers voting in favour, 27 against and 11 abstaining.
The declaration, backed by GERB-UDF, Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), MRF–New Beginning, BSP–United Left, Democracy, Rights and Freedoms (DRF), and There Is Such a People (TISP), calls for a lasting and just peace in Ukraine through negotiations involving all directly affected countries, including Bulgaria.
“The declaration aims to reassure Bulgarian citizens that the country will not send troops to Ukraine,” said Toma Bikov of GERB-UDF. “We stand between two groups—one pretending to be Trump, the other Biden—watching a spectacle.”
The nationalist Vazrazhdane party voted against the declaration, arguing that it leaves loopholes for future troop deployment. “You are lying to the people. This declaration leaves room for hypothetical scenarios in which Bulgarian troops could be sent to Ukraine,” said Vazrazhdane MP Angel Georgiev. The party’s proposed amendments, including the removal of references to Bulgaria’s NATO and EU memberships as national security guarantees, were rejected.
CC-DB’s attempt to include language condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “ongoing, unprovoked and unjustified” was also voted down. “The majority, except for CC-DB, rejected our proposal to label Russia as the aggressor. GERB leader Boyko Borissov didn’t support it in parliament but later told the media Russia is the aggressor,” said CC-DB MP Bozhidar Bozhanov.
Radostin Vassilev of MECh echoed concerns over potential troop deployment, saying his group would abstain unless the text guaranteed no involvement. Meanwhile, Stanislav Balabanov of TISP urged Vazrazhdane to stop “scaring the public,” noting that sending troops would require parliamentary approval.
Socialist MP Andrey Valchev emphasized his party’s stance on a peaceful resolution: “This conflict cannot be resolved except by negotiation. We will not allow Bulgarian soldiers’ lives to be lost in Ukraine.”
Nadezhda Yordanova, CC-DB deputy co-floor leader, criticized what she called attempts at appeasement. “Bulgaria’s national interest lies in a strong Europe. A passive stance risks placing Bulgaria in a ‘grey zone’ on the European periphery,” she warned.
