Bulgarian President Rumen Radev acknowledged blocking the appointment of a pro-western former defense minister as Sofia’s ambassador to Kyiv.
According to Radio Free Liberty, this admission highlights a long-standing disagreement between the head of state and governments regarding support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion.
Radev’s statement on 23 July came after reports that Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev’s caretaker government had used a workaround that doesn’t require the president’s signature to fill the diplomatic gap that has existed since the early months of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
The president, who critics accuse of pro-Kremlin positions, claims the government circumvented the constitution by appointing Nikolai Nenchev as an envoy to Kyiv.
“I firmly refused because the candidate does not have the necessary professional qualities or knowledge for this important position,” Radev said.
Glavchev, appointed by Radev as interim prime minister in April and also served as foreign minister, responded that Nenchev’s appointment as temporary ambassador was made by Bulgarian law.
Radev has clashed with several Bulgarian governments over Sofia’s provision of military aid to Kyiv amid two years of elections. He has referred to supporters of such aid as “warmongers.”
Nenchev, who served as defense minister from 2014 to 2017, is generally seen as a pro-western figure and has publicly advocated for military assistance to Ukraine.
RFE/RL reports that the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry and the Cabinet of Ministers have not yet responded to requests for comment, and Nenchev also did not return calls.
Sofia temporarily closed its embassy in Kyiv as a precautionary measure following the full-scale invasion of Russian troops in February 2022. The mandate of former Bulgarian Ambassador Kostadin Kodzhabashev expired before the mission was reopened in September 2022, leaving the position of Bulgarian ambassador vacant since then.
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