A political furore erupted on September 25 after President Iliana Yotova and the Foreign Ministry distanced themselves – albeit with varying statements – from a declaration backed by Bulgaria amid numerous countries that slammed Russia and expressed support for Ukraine.
The declaration was read out at the United Nations in New York by European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
Signed by all 27 EU member states, the European Union and a total of 51 countries, the declaration calls on Russia to agree to a complete, immediate and unconditional ceasefire and to start peace negotiations.
The text was posted on the website of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry but there was no reference to it on the website of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, until several hours later, the ministry in Sofia sent out a media statement seeking to put its own spin on it.
Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry said that Bulgaria supported the declaration in the name of European unity.
The Foreign Ministry said that the Bulgarian national position was not fully reflected in the text of the declaration. It said that this position was expressed by Yotova in her address to the UN General Assembly.
In a Facebook post, Yotova – who is seeking election as head of state in her own right in a vote a month away – said: “In connection with the published information regarding a joint statement signed by me after the expanded meeting of the UN Security Council, I am obliged to clarify”.
“First – this statement is not signed. It was sent to all member states before the session in New York,” Yotova said.
“The Bulgarian state did not have the opportunity to express reservations on the position provided, nor were the proposals for editing accepted,” she said.
“Therefore, I did not attend the expanded meeting of the Council, which is evident from my absence from a joint photo after it. I stated my position in my speech to the UN General Assembly. There is no military solution for Ukraine. Peace cannot be achieved without the participation of Ukraine and Russia,” Yotova said.
Georg Georgiev, an MP for opposition GERB-UDF and a former foreign minister, said on September 25 said that the actions of the institutions raise doubts about whether Bulgaria is pursuing a consistent foreign policy and demonstrate a divergence between the presidency and the government.
Georgiev also took issue with the argument that the lack of a joint photo after the meeting means distancing oneself from the declaration, stating that such documents are not certified by a physical signature and that Bulgaria’s accession was publicly announced by Kallas.
Elisaveta Belobradova, an MP for opposition Yes Bulgaria, said that Yotova’s actions have created the impression of Bulgaria’s contradictory position on the topic of Ukraine and have called into question the country’s consistency in supporting the European line.
Belobradova said that the discrepancy between joining the declaration and the subsequent distancing from it creates confusion among both supporters of a more categorical pro-European position and critics of military support for Ukraine.
Democratic Bulgaria MP Ivailo Mirchev said that Yotova was scared that “the text was too categorical for her idea of ‘peace’ and produced yet another humiliation for Bulgaria, posting panicked midnight statuses”.
“Our country cannot appear so bowed down and cowardly. This is shameful and cowardly behaviour, dooming us to isolation,” Mirchev said.
“The declaration in support of Ukraine, signed by 51 UN member states, is crystal clear and sends unambiguous key messages,” he said.
“Yotova is a shadow of (former president, now Prime Minister Roumen) Radev. We have received yet further proof of this. Every scene and opportunity is being used to show that the direction is changing. This danger must be met in the presidential elections with the response of democratic and free people,” Mirchev said.
Nikolai Denkov, parliamentary leader of opposition We Continue the Change and a former prime minister, said: “Bulgaria has appeared on the world stage, but in a way that is actually a shame for us, and this shame was caused today by the institutions. The discord between the Presidency and the president, who leads the delegation, and the foreign minister is an extremely serious problem. It undermines trust that has been built over a decade, because precisely these laughters that I am hearing right now show that you do not understand what this is about at all”‘.
In the National Assembly on September 25, Democratic Bulgaria proposed hearing Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova on the matter.
“In recent hours, a grand scandal has tarnished the image of the Republic of Bulgaria,” Democratic Bulgaria parliamentary leader Nadezhda Yordanova told the House.
“On the one hand, the Minister of Foreign Affairs claims that Bulgaria has joined the joint statement during the session of the UN General Assembly in support of Ukraine, insisting that Russia immediately cease fire and withdraw from the territory of Ukraine, Kaya Kallas also indicated that Bulgaria has joined, and President Yotova claims the opposite. This topic must be immediately clarified in our National Assembly whether President Yotova claims that Kaya Kallas is lying,” Yordanova said.
Iskra Mihailova of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms said that Bulgarian officials have demanded that the EU take clear positions on international issues.
“After which it turns out that Bulgaria is once again giving signals that two representatives of our state are not aware of what exactly was decided and expressed as a position by the European Union, from which we demand to be more categorical, and today, now, the Bulgarian National Assembly with the majority is once again showing that we do not know what we are doing at all. Do we support the European Union in its position?” Mihailova said.
Kostadin Angelov of GERB-UDF insisted on hearing the Deputy Foreign Minister in the absence of the Foreign Minister, to clarify the Bulgarian position on the issues discussed at the UN.
“For the first time in this chamber, I feel such a feeling, to be ashamed of being a Bulgarian member of Parliament,” Angelov said.
“It is not fitting for this House to stoop at times when the destinies of the world are being decided on the international stage. Dear members of Parliament from the majority, realise the responsibility that the Bulgarian people voted for you, namely to protect the interests of Bulgarian citizens and not to separate Bulgaria from the place where it belongs – the European Union,” he said.
The proposal was defeated. In an initial vote, 123 of Radev’s ruling Progressive Bulgaria – which has endorsed Yotova in the presidential elections – voted against while all other parliamentary groups voted in favour – GERB-UDF, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Democratic Bulgaria, We Continue the Change and Vuzrazhdane. For the MRF to vote against the ruling majority is rather unusual, given that it tends to vote with the ruling majority.
In a re-vote, the proposal was defeated with 121 Progressive Bulgaria voting against and two voting in favour.
The situation regarding the declaration in New York is reminiscent of that that followed when Foreign Minister Petrova went to Kyiv in July 2026 during the Fifth Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit.
Bulgaria’s name appeared among those who supported the Kyiv Declaration, which confirmed the readiness to strengthen its participation in the Coalition of the Willing. Petrova then said that she had not supported or signed anything.
(Photo: UN Photo/ Loey Felipe, via president.bg)
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