Radev shakes Brussels with threat of veto on sanctions against Patriarch Kirill

The position of Prime Minister Rumen Radev that Bulgaria could block part of the new package of European Union sanctions against Russia has caused serious concern in Brussels and once again placed the country at the center of the European debate on unity regarding the "sanctions" topic. His statement revived concerns that had emerged since his election victory that a "new Viktor Orban" might be forming in Sofia, although the political picture is more complex.

In the parliamentary elections in April, Rumen Radev won nearly 50% of the votes with his newly created party "Progressive Bulgaria" and secured an absolute majority in the National Assembly. Since the beginning of May, the former head of state has led a single-party government, which gives him significant room for maneuver in European and foreign policy.

Before the EU summit in Brussels, Radev stated that Bulgaria would veto the planned 21st package of sanctions against Russia if it included measures against the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill. When asked to what extent Kirill could be viewed as a cleric after having defined Russia's war against the "Western neoliberal world" as a "holy war," Radev replied that in his view, the problem is not the person of the Patriarch, but the principle of not mixing politics and religion.

According to the Prime Minister, it should be kept in mind that millions of Russians are Orthodox Christians. He stated that "the time of crusades has passed" and recalled Russia's role in the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire. According to Radev, Russian and Bulgarian society share the Orthodox faith and are "one family." He also questioned the effectiveness of such personal sanctions, asking in what specific way they would contribute to ending the war.

A similar line was defended by Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova. She described the potential sanctions against Patriarch Kirill as "symbolic," without real economic consequences, and stated that Bulgaria does not support such types of measures. According to her, the government is not against sanctions as an instrument, but only against those that are ineffective or cause more harm to the member states than to "the country waging the war."

During his terms as president, Radev consistently insisted that negotiations with Moscow should be preferred over military support for Ukraine, without, however, providing a clear answer as to how such negotiations would be possible in the absence of a willingness on the part of the Kremlin to end the aggression. Nevertheless, he had not gone as far as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban until now – unlike Budapest, Sofia did not oppose the opening of negotiations for Ukraine's EU membership and did not block the extension of existing sanctions.

According to political observers, Radev is playing a kind of "double game" – he is trying to maintain the support of pro-Russian voters who were key to his convincing victory, but at the same time is looking for a way not to isolate Bulgaria within the EU. In this context, the position of Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova is interpreted as an attempt to clarify the message: the cabinet supports sanctions in principle, but only when they have a "real economic effect" and do not become purely symbolic gestures.

The opposition's reaction was sharp. Former Finance Minister Assen Vassilev, leader of the "We Continue the Change" party, stated that Patriarch Kirill should not be viewed primarily as a religious leader. He used his secular name, Vladimir Gundyayev, and called him a "KGB agent," emphasizing that sanctions against a person with such a role are fully justified. Vassilev also criticized Radev's attempts to dilute the responsibility for the war, insisting that it must be clearly stated that Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim.

Former Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov from GERB also condemned the government's position. According to him, the support for Kirill has nothing to do with Orthodoxy. "This is not about church affairs or canon law. This is about a man who has used the authority of the Church for years to justify the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the killing of innocent people," Mitov stated. He described the argument that sanctions against the Patriarch represent interference in religious affairs as unconvincing and unrelated to Bulgaria's national interest.

The debate surrounding the threat of a veto on part of the sanctions against Russia shows how delicate the balance remains between domestic political pressure, historical and cultural ties with Moscow, and the expectations of European partners. At the center of this balance stands not only Prime Minister Rumen Radev but also the government's diplomatic team, led by Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova, who will have to defend Sofia's controversial line both before the Bulgarian public and at the negotiating table in Brussels.