EditU.S.-sanctioned Bulgarian powerbroker pushes ratification of Trump’s Board of Peace charter
Delyan Peevski urges parliament to fast-track approval of the agreement signed by Sofia, while legal experts warn the move may breach the constitution
A Bulgarian politician sanctioned by the U.S. and the UK is pushing parliament to accelerate the ratification of a charter linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” initiative, in a move that has reignited debate over the country’s foreign policy and domestic political influence.
Delyan Peevski, one of Bulgaria’s most powerful and controversial political figures, has urged lawmakers to oblige the government to submit legislation ratifying the agreement signed earlier this year by the country’s prime minister.
The proposal was tabled by the parliamentary group of MRF – New Beginning, the party led by Peevski. In a statement, the group said the parliamentary vote would make it “crystal clear” which political leaders defend Bulgaria’s national interest and which serve what it described as the global backstage networks associated with George and Alexander Soros.
According to the party, Bulgaria’s participation in Trump’s Board of Peace has “no alternative”.
On 22 January Bulgaria’s former Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov surprisingly brought Bulgaria into Trump’s “Board of Peace” initiative. Ever since, the move was interpreted as an attempt to get Peevski out of the U.S. Magnitsky list, which is significantly harming the tycoon’s businesses.
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Peevski was sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom for corruption and has long sought ways to remove his name from the sanctions lists. Analysts in Sofia have linked his strong support for the initiative to efforts to improve relations with Washington.
The tycoon’s intervention comes amid a turbulent political environment in Bulgaria.
Until December, he supported the government, led by Boyko Borissov’s GERB party (EPP-affiliated), that ultimately resigned in the midst of mass anti-corruption protests across the country. The protests targeted corruption allegations and political influence over key institutions.
Bulgaria is now heading toward snap parliamentary elections scheduled for 19 April, and analysts expect Peevski to remain in opposition after the vote.
Despite not holding formal executive power, the tycoon is widely regarded as wielding substantial influence within parts of the security services and the prosecution system.
His name has also recently surfaced in a separate controversy involving the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. A Bulgarian European prosecutor has claimed she was pressured and threatened in connection with investigations, a scandal that has intensified scrutiny of political influence over the judiciary.
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A controversial signing – and ratification
After the signing, the question of the ratification arose. The decision itself had been adopted by the cabinet a day earlier under the classification “for official use only”, according to documents later released by the government after the confidentiality label was lifted.
The cabinet decision contained three main points. It approved the charter as a basis for negotiations, authorised the prime minister to sign it subject to later ratification by parliament, and instructed him to notify the United States that Bulgaria would not apply the charter provisionally before parliamentary approval.
But that did not happen.
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Former foreign minister and then interior minister Daniel Mitov defended the signing as an act of geopolitical pragmatism. He said that when a major geopolitical initiative is formed under U.S. leadership, it is “better to be at the table than on the menu”. Refusing to participate in such a project, he argued, would not represent neutrality but rather self-exclusion.
Despite those arguments, Bulgaria’s then acting foreign minister Georg Georgiev later announced that the government would not seek ratification in the current parliament. He said that Bulgaria would have no obligations under the charter until it was ratified and that the decision should be left to the next legislature.
Peevski responded by criticising the delay, saying postponing ratification sends a negative signal to Bulgaria’s international partners.
The Board of Peace initiative has so far been joined by 19 countries. Several major European states – including France, United Kingdom and Germany – have chosen not to participate. Ukraine has also remained outside the structure.
Legal criticism from academics
The signing of the Board of Peace charter has also drawn strong criticism from legal scholars.
Shortly after Zhelyazkov signed the document, academics from the Department of International Law and International Relations at the Faculty of Law of Sofia University published a legal analysis urging parliament to reject ratification.
According to the scholars, the agreement could violate Bulgaria’s constitution as well as the country’s obligations under the United Nations Charter and the legal framework of the European Union.
The experts emphasised that the charter was signed without public debate, parliamentary discussion or transparency.
In their view, this represents a serious breach of the constitutional model governing the formation of Bulgaria’s foreign policy and may also violate the country’s law on international treaties.
Such an act, they argue, amounts to an arbitrary exercise of public authority incompatible with democratic principles and the rule of law expected in a European state.
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Caption: Delyan Peevski in the National Assembly. Georgi Kozhuharov/ dnevnik.bg.
Updated: March 12, 2026 - 10:57
