Bulgarian opposition demands explanation for Budanov's secret visit

Political resonance around unannounced trip

A political scandal has erupted in Bulgaria over the secret visit by Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, to Sofia. During his stay in the country, he held meetings with representatives of the government and security services. After information about this trip became public, some Bulgarian politicians called for the reasons and purpose of the visit to be clarified.

The event was reported by Bulgarian media, including public broadcaster BNT, as well as bTV Novinite and Mediapool.

Opposition statements and calls for transparency

Former Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov published a joint photo with Budanov, stating that his visit could allegedly change Bulgaria's foreign policy. Previously, following Prime Minister Rumen Radev's rise to power, Bulgaria was perceived as a state with pro-Russian leanings.

“I am convinced that Ukraine will be a friend of Bulgaria, and Radev will have the opportunity to meet with the highest-ranking officials of the Ukrainian government,” Tsvetanov said, referring to Budanov as a “potential future president of Ukraine”.

According to unofficial data, the head of the Presidential Office's stay in Bulgaria lasted less than a day. However, it was the secrecy of the visit that raised questions from some politicians, who emphasised that they had not been informed about the arrival of the Ukrainian official.

“Today we will demand information on what exactly was the purpose of Budanov's visit to Bulgaria, because no one told us anything. And not just us; I suspect that no one told other political forces in parliament either. Moreover, in practice, his arrival in Bulgaria almost coincided with a meeting of the National Security Advisory Council,” Kostadin Kostadinov, head of the Revival party, commented on the situation.

Official stance of authorities and denial of contacts

Against the backdrop of these discussions, Prime Minister Rumen Radev denied the existence of any contacts between Bulgaria and Ukraine regarding an attack on ships.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence officially stated that their heads had not met with Budanov. The parliamentary opposition, in turn, announced preparations for an official inquiry into the circumstances of the visit.

Ultimately, the government provided an official explanation: the head of the Presidential Office's trip to Sofia took place at his own request and under conditions of complete confidentiality, which was dictated by security considerations. During the visit, Budanov also met with the Prime Minister, with whom he “shared the Ukrainian side's views on the possibilities of achieving a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine”.