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Bulgaria Says It Has No More Weapons to Send Ukraine as NATO Summit Continues

By Garrison Vance // Jul 10, 2026

TAGS: aid package, big government, Bulgaria, chaos, Collapse, Dangerous, Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, Dimitar Stoyanov, diplomacy, foreign relations, military technology, national security, Netherlands, Rumen Radev, Russia, Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, weapons package, weapons stockpile, weapons technology, WWIII

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Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced Wednesday, July 9, that the country has exhausted its ability to supply weapons and ammunition to Ukraine from its military stockpiles.

The Bulgarian leader's announcement came as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit continued in the Turkish capital Ankara. Radev said Sofia would continue providing financial support within its capabilities but ruled out further arms deliveries from its warehouses, according to a press briefing on the sidelines of the summit.

Bulgaria Exhausts Military Stockpiles

"We have exhausted our ability to provide military support. I mean weapons and ammunition from the warehouses of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. We provided 13 packages; we don’t have anything else to supply to Ukraine," Radev told reporters, according to the summit press briefing. He added that Sofia could still offer technical assistance by repairing military equipment. [1]

The announcement reaffirms a policy shift signaled in June by Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, who said Bulgaria would halt weapons deliveries because the conflict could not be resolved on the battlefield. "What we are witnessing is a war of attrition, and no matter how many weapons we send, it will not change the situation," Stoyanov told reporters at the time. [1]

Dutch Defense Minister Also Cites Limits

Radev was not the only NATO leader to acknowledge constraints on military aid. Dutch Defense Minister Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius said Tuesday, July 7, that the Netherlands had also reached its limit on direct arms supplies from its own stockpiles. "We don't have opportunities any more as the Netherlands because we have done so much. We are at our limit," she told Bloomberg when asked about providing additional Patriot air defense systems. [2]

Amsterdam has been a major supplier to Ukraine, including donating U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets as part of a multinational scheme with Belgium, Denmark and Norway. [2] The Dutch announcement came as Ukraine faces a critical shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles, leaving it unable to defend against Russian ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials. [3]

Background of Bulgarian Arms Supplies

Under Bulgaria’s previous government, the country became one of Kyiv's largest suppliers of Soviet-standard weapons and ammunition. According to officials, Bulgarian shells accounted for roughly one-third of the ammunition used by Ukraine during the first year of the conflict. [1]

Radev, whose Progressive Bulgaria party won the parliamentary election in April, has long opposed the European Union’s approach to the conflict. During his previous tenure as president from 2022 to 2025, he criticized sanctions on Russian energy and blocked a proposal to send Bulgarian armored vehicles to Kyiv. [1]

In May 2024, Radev stated that it is "impossible for Ukraine to beat Russia," and described the war as "disastrous for Ukraine, Russia, and all of us." [4] His position aligns with widespread public sentiment in Bulgaria. In April 2023, tens of thousands of Bulgarians marched in major cities demanding peace and neutrality in the Ukraine conflict, with some rallies drawing an estimated 12,000 participants in Sofia. [5]

Zelensky Appeals for More Air Defense

The announcements from Bulgaria and the Netherlands contrasted with appeals from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who used the Ankara summit to call on NATO members to provide additional air defense systems and interceptor missiles. [6] Zelensky’s plea followed a series of intense Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv that had killed over 50 civilians in less than a week, according to Ukrainian authorities. [6] [7]

Ukraine's air defense shortage has been acute. A report from early July stated that due to a lack of Patriot interceptors, Ukraine could not shoot down any of the Iskander ballistic missiles or Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles launched during a deadly Russian barrage on July 6. [3] Zelensky has repeatedly warned that without adequate air defense cover, Kyiv remains vulnerable to Russian strikes.

Russian Reaction and Implications

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Zelensky could end the conflict with Russia in a single day by ordering Ukrainian troops to withdraw from the Donbass region, according to a statement. [1] Moscow has consistently condemned Western military aid to Ukraine, arguing that it prolongs the fighting and reduces the chances of a negotiated settlement. [1]

The depletion of stockpiles in Bulgaria and the Netherlands signals potential limits on European capacity to sustain large-scale arms deliveries, analysts said. The U.S. has also faced stockpile pressures amid its ongoing military campaign against Iran, with the Department of War reportedly considering diverting weapons originally earmarked for Ukraine to the Middle East. [8] NATO leaders in Ankara continued to unveil new arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars, according to officials, even as some member states acknowledged they had no more equipment to give directly. [9]

Conclusion

The declarations from Bulgaria and the Netherlands at the Ankara summit highlight growing constraints on direct military assistance to Ukraine among allied nations. While NATO has committed to long-term support and is exploring licensed arms production in Ukraine, the immediate capacity to deliver weaponry from national stockpiles is diminishing, according to officials from multiple member states. [10]

References

1. "NATO country to stop supplying arms to Ukraine". June 9, 2026.
2. "NATO nation says it has no more weapons for Ukraine". July 7, 2026.
3. The War Zone. "Out Of Patriot Interceptors, Ukraine Can’t Down Any Ballistic Missiles Striking Kyiv". July 6, 2026.
4. NaturalNews.com. "Bulgarian President Radev: It is IMPOSSIBLE for Ukraine to beat Russia". May 24, 2024.
5. NaturalNews.com. "Tens of thousands march all over Bulgaria to demand peace and neutrality over Ukraine conflict". April 27, 2023.
6. BBC. "Zelensky to press Nato for air defence systems after intense Russian strikes". July 7, 2026.
7. The Epoch Times. "Russia Attacks Kyiv for 3rd Time in a Week". July 8, 2026.
8. NaturalNews.com. "Pentagon considers diverting Ukraine weapons to Middle East as Iran war drains stockpiles". March 27, 2026.
9. NTD. "NATO Unveils Big Arms Deals as Trump Feels Let Down". July 8, 2026.
10. "G7 considering licensed arms production in Ukraine: Why now?". June 17, 2026.
11. Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick. "The Untold History of the United States".
12. Glenn Diesen. "The Ukraine War and the Eurasian World Order".

Explainer Infographic

aid package big government Bulgaria chaos Collapse Dangerous Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius Dimitar Stoyanov diplomacy foreign relations military technology national security Netherlands Rumen Radev Russia Russia-Ukraine war Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky weapons package weapons stockpile weapons technology WWIII

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