Bulgaria to veto new EU sanctions package against Russia

Bulgaria plans to veto the new European Union sanctions package against Russia, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on Thursday, June 18. He stated that the new restrictive measures could negatively affect Bulgaria's economy.

Radev also cited disagreement with the proposed sanctions against the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. "There is a significant risk to Lukoil's operations. We want this company to be excluded from the sanctions list," Radev told journalists before an EU summit in Brussels.

Lukoil is one of the largest fuel retailers in Bulgaria and owns the country's only oil refinery, located in Burgas. Additionally, Radev fears disruptions in the supply of spare parts for the Sofia metro and fertilizers.

"Should these issues be considered within the EU decision-making bodies? How have these sanctions stopped the war so far? And how have they helped establish peace?" the prime minister asked rhetorically. At the same time, he emphasized that his government supports Ukraine's EU accession negotiations.

On June 15, the EU expanded the scope of sanctions against Russia, adding 34 individuals and 47 entities to the restrictive lists. The penalties affected Russian and foreign companies linked to the military-industrial complex, as well as individuals and entities involved in oil exports from Russia, including via the country's "shadow fleet." Among those included are Lukoil-West Siberia and numerous companies based in Russia, Liberia, Turkey, the UAE, Azerbaijan, and Hong Kong. The sanctions also targeted Anatoly Kuzichev, host of the program "Vremya Pokazhet" on Channel One, and Metropolitan Tikhon of Simferopol and Crimea (Georgy Shevkunov), whom media call Russian President Vladimir Putin's spiritual advisor.