Prime Minister Rumen Radev
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has triggered renewed debate in Brussels after suggesting that Bulgaria could block parts of a new EU sanctions package against Russia, particularly measures targeting Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church, according to FAZ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).
The position revived earlier concerns among EU officials that Sofia could begin to resemble a more confrontational member state similar to Hungary under Viktor Orbán, although analysts note the situation remains more nuanced.
Radev, who won a strong parliamentary majority in April elections with his Progressive Bulgaria party and formed a single-party government in May, raised the issue ahead of an EU summit in Brussels.
He said Bulgaria would oppose the planned 21st sanctions package if it included provisions against Patriarch Kirill. Addressing criticism of the patriarch’s political messaging, including his framing of Russia’s war as a “holy war,” Radev argued the issue was not personal conduct but the broader principle of separating religion from politics.
