Bulgaria to direct Ukraine aid towards non-lethal assistance

Bulgaria will direct its financial contribution to Ukraine under the European Peace Facility towards non-lethal assistance, the government said on Tuesday.

The government approved a position of “constructive abstention” from funding the purchase of new lethal weapons, while not blocking relevant European Union decisions.

Bulgaria will seek to ensure that its contribution is used as a priority in areas of Ukraine with ethnic Bulgarian communities, with options for doing so being discussed with the European Commission.

The European Peace Facility is funded by mandatory contributions from EU member states. Failure to meet existing commitments could result in interest charges and jeopardise reimbursement for assistance already provided, the government said.

“As a Black Sea country, Bulgaria has a strategic interest in ending hostilities in the immediate vicinity of its borders,” the government said in a statement.

It said focusing exclusively on non-military assistance would signal that Bulgaria supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity but rejects “the logic of endless military confrontation” and seeks to open diplomatic channels for negotiations.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova