Bulgaria has announced that it is prepared to veto the European Union’s latest sanctions package against Russia, arguing that some of the proposed measures could harm the country’s economy and objecting to sanctions targeting senior figures of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the restrictions could affect the operations of Lukoil, which owns Bulgaria’s only oil refinery, and warned of possible disruptions in the supply of metro spare parts and fertilizers.
“There is a significant risk to the operations of Lukoil. We want it to be removed from the list.”
Questioning the effectiveness of the sanctions, Radev asked: “How have these sanctions stopped the war so far? And how have they contributed to peace at all?”
He also criticized sanctions against senior representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, saying: “This war has already gone beyond the trenches; it has expanded beyond the economy and energy sector. We see its impact on culture and sports, and now it is reaching religion.”
At the same time, Radev stressed that Bulgaria would continue to support Ukraine’s EU accession process and would not obstruct the bloc’s common decisions regarding Ukraine.
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