'UNANIMOUS DEAD!': Bulgaria's Single Veto Kills EU 21st Russia Sanctions, NATO Divide Goes Deeper?

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has single-handedly blocked three key targets from the European Union's proposed 21st sanctions package against Russia — including Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, Lukoil president Vagit Alekperov and businessman Iskandar Makhmudov — declaring that religion must not be intertwined with political confrontations while Europe is at war, and insisting Bulgaria is defending its legitimate national interests in the fields of energy and transport, citing a reported €3 billion arbitration dispute with Lukoil and the risk that sanctioning Makhmudov could cut off spare-parts supplies for Sofia's metro system and throw the Bulgarian capital's transport network into chaos. Radev also confirmed that Bulgaria refused to formally join the French-led informal Coalition of the Willing supporting Ukraine, sending a delegation to Paris only as a sign of respect for France while refusing to sign up — calling on Europe to prioritise negotiating efforts to restore peace and build a new sustainable security system rather than pursue military escalation, in a direct challenge to French President Emmanuel Macron's call for a European strategic awakening that positions Sofia as one of the EU's most openly dissenting voices on both Ukraine support and Russia sanctions policy.

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