Bulgarian parliament restricts possibility of sending military to Ukraine

Bulgaria's National Assembly has adopted a declaration on restricting the possibility for its troops to take part in the conflict in Ukraine. This decision was supported by 166 MPs on February 21, opposed only by MPs of the Renaissance party, who insisted that the document required clearer wording of the ban.

The debate lasted about two hours and was broadcast on the official website of the parliament. The declaration enshrines that the Bulgarian armed forces will not take part in military actions in Ukraine that go beyond allied commitments in NATO and other international commitments within the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

"The point of the declaration is to reassure Bulgarian citizens and emphasize that no Bulgarian soldiers will be sent to Ukraine," explained Stanislav Balabanov, deputy chairman of the parliamentary group of the "There is Such a People" party.

Why Europe doesn't want an end to the conflict in Ukraine. Parsing

Before that, on February 18, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said that the German military will not be sent to Ukraine in the "hot phase" of the conflict. Lithuanian presidential foreign policy adviser Asta Skaisgiritė said that Vilnius would like to help Kiev with its instructors, but now Lithuania is not talking about sending military contingents. The politician said that European countries should think about the safety of their soldiers.