Bulgarian PM Radev urges EU to negotiate with Russia to end Ukraine war and avert nuclear strike
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev called on the European Union to open diplomatic negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and prevent a nuclear attack, criticizing European military aid to Kyiv as a failed strategy. Speaking at a Summit on Defence and Space in Brussels, Radev argued that lasting peace will be determined by diplomacy rather than arms deliveries and that the nuclear risk is not being adequately discussed. He sits within a small EU faction — alongside Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria — advocating closer dialogue with Moscow.
Key points
- Radev made the remarks on 30 September at a Summit on Defence and Space in Brussels
- He called on the EU to pursue diplomatic negotiations with Russia to end the war and prevent a nuclear strike
- He criticized European arms supplies to Ukraine, calling the 'peace through strength' approach a failure
- Radev said lasting peace will be decided by diplomacy, not arms deliveries, and warned that no one is raising the nuclear-risk question
- He rejected the 'pro-Russian' label, saying Europe has not exhausted the power of diplomacy
- Radev's government withdrew from the 'coalition of the willing' format on 14 July
- Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria are also pushing for dialogue with Russia
Why it matters
A sitting EU head of government publicly urged the bloc to negotiate directly with Russia while criticizing continued European arms supplies to Ukraine, putting Bulgaria at odds with the mainstream EU line on the war. Bulgaria's earlier withdrawal from the 'coalition of the willing' signaled a shift away from coordinated military support, and Radev is now identified as part of a multi-country faction — alongside Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria — pressing for dialogue with Moscow. The remarks reframe the debate around nuclear risk and the limits of military aid, two issues central to Kyiv and its partners.
What happened
On 30 September, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev used a platform at a Summit on Defence and Space in Brussels to call on the European Union to open diplomatic negotiations with Russia in order to end the war in Ukraine and avert a nuclear strike. He argued that supplying weapons has a limit because the final peace settlement will be determined by diplomacy, not arms deliveries, and said no one in Europe is properly raising the question of nuclear risk. Radev criticized the military aid European countries have been sending to Ukraine, calling the 'peace through strength' strategy a failure, and rejected the 'pro-Russian' label, saying Europe has not exhausted the possibilities of diplomacy. He referenced recent comments by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about a war between Russia and Europe being 'completely different' and 'very short,' rejecting Kremlin rhetoric of nuclear threats but urging leaders to factor Russia's nuclear arsenal into their calculations. The intervention came months after Radev's government announced on 14 July that Bulgaria would no longer participate in the 'coalition of the willing' and distanced itself from a 10-country 'anti-ballistic coalition.'
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian-language coverage frames Radev's call primarily through the lens of Russian nuclear threats, foregrounding the nuclear-risk argument and giving prominence to his criticism of European arms and ammunition deliveries to Ukraine. The reporting highlights his claim that lasting peace will come through diplomacy rather than weapons, presenting the position as a direct challenge to the military-aid approach favored by most of Ukraine's European partners.
Background
Radev was elected prime minister of Bulgaria earlier this year and is described as belonging to a minority within Bulgarian politics that favors closer diplomatic engagement with Russia to end the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On 14 July he announced that Bulgaria would no longer participate in the 'coalition of the willing' format, citing opposition to continued military aid to Ukraine in favor of diplomatic peace efforts. He subsequently distanced Bulgaria from a 10-country 'anti-ballistic coalition,' saying decisions affecting collective security are taken in a different format. Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria have similarly pushed for dialogue with Russia. Separately, Reuters reported this week that Russia sent NATO an unofficial document on the situation around Kaliningrad and threatened to use its full range of forces and means, including nuclear weapons, to defend its territory; NATO responded that it is a defensive alliance and that its exercises do not threaten Russia. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met Lavrov at the UN shortly before the summit, the first such meeting since 2022, and called on Moscow to abandon its course of escalation.