EditFrom Brussels, Bulgaria’s Radev warns of nuclear risk, calls for Ukraine diplomacy
Rumen Radev argues that continued arms deliveries to Ukraine risk escalating a confrontation with the world’s largest nuclear power
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has called on Europe to put diplomacy at the centre of efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, warning that continued escalation could increase the risk of a nuclear confrontation.
Speaking at the Euronews Defence and Space Summit in Brussels on Wednesday, Radev said European countries should not rely primarily on military support for Kyiv and should instead reopen channels of communication with Moscow.
“We always need to think about the worst-case scenario,” Radev said, arguing that Europe needed to assess the risks of confronting a nuclear power.
“There is a limit to just delivering weapons and supporting, because the final peace set-up will be done by diplomacy, not by delivering weapons,” he said. “We have not exhausted the power of diplomacy, and we need to do and to speak more.”
Radev said Europe should consider the possibility that a conflict involving Russia could escalate beyond conventional warfare. He referred to recent comments by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that a war between Russia and Europe would be “completely different” and “very short”, while rejecting what he called such rhetoric from Moscow.
But the Bulgarian prime minister argued that European governments nevertheless needed to take the nuclear dimension into account.
“We cannot close our eyes to the fact that there are nuclear weapons on our continent,” he said, adding that Russia could be more inclined to use its nuclear capabilities if it felt weakened or cornered.
Radev also criticised what he described as Europe’s attempt to achieve a “conventional victory” against Russia, saying that the war had exposed weaknesses in Western strategic thinking.
“The war in Ukraine challenged our critical thinking and realistic approach,” he said. It had also, he argued, raised questions about how Europe defined its political objectives and translated them into military strategy.
A long-standing position
Radev’s call for greater engagement with Moscow is consistent with positions he has taken since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He is often described as Russia-friendly or pro-Russian, and as president he repeatedly argued that more weapons to Ukraine would not bring an end to the war and called instead for diplomatic efforts.
Radev stepped down at the end of his second presidential term to enter party politics and won the April parliamentary election with his Progressive Bulgaria movement. His government took office in May.
Bulgaria initially declined to provide weapons directly to Ukraine in 2022, although it agreed to repair Ukrainian military equipment. Parliament later approved the country’s first military assistance package to Kyiv in December that year, despite opposition from Radev, who was then president. Bulgaria subsequently supplied Ukraine with anti-tank missiles, armoured vehicles, mortars, anti-aircraft guns, howitzers and infantry weapons in 2024 and 2025. In 2022 and 2023, Bulgarian arms and ammunition were instead exported mainly to European intermediaries, with Bulgarian officials saying they could not control what buyers did with the shipments.
That policy changed in June, when Bulgaria stopped providing military aid from its army stocks. Radev said the country had exhausted what it could supply without compromising its own defence capabilities. The decision did not affect Bulgaria’s defence industry, which continues to produce and commercially export ammunition, including supplies destined for Ukraine.
Bulgaria’s “end” to Ukraine aid: rhetoric vs. reality in Sofia’s balancing act
In July, Bulgaria also stayed away from a Paris meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing”. Radev said that “Bulgaria’s place is not in the coalition of the willing” and called instead for stronger diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Asked by Euronews anchor Maria Tadeo whether his position amounted to supporting Russia, Radev rejected the characterisation, saying: “I don’t care about supporting Russia, I care about finally finding the road to peace.” At the same time, he has stressed that Bulgaria remains committed to its European direction, while arguing that Europe needs more “critical thinking” and pragmatism in dealing with the war.
"I don't care about supporting Russia, I care about finally finding the road to peace," Bulgarian PM Rumen Radev says.#EuronewsDefenceSpace2026 pic.twitter.com/988n17kYqV
— euronews (@euronews) September 30, 2026
Defence pressure across Europe
Radev’s comments on Wednesday came as European governments seek to increase defence spending and strengthen cooperation on military procurement and production, amid growing concern over Russian attacks and hybrid threats.
Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken told the summit that Europe faced what he called a “dark winter” as hybrid threats multiplied. He urged European governments to accelerate efforts to expand air-defence capabilities, particularly against increasingly fast drones.
U.S. Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder, meanwhile, criticised proposals to give preference to European-made defence equipment in the bloc’s rearmament efforts. He argued that NATO allies should prioritise capability and availability rather than the geographic origin of equipment, and advocated a broader “Made in NATO” approach.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius and European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen are also among the senior officials taking part in the Brussels summit.
April forecast: exit Orbán, enters Radev, its Bulgarian edition
Sources: Euronews, Reuters, AP
Caption: Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev/Euronews
Updated: September 30, 2026 - 16:00
