Relationship dossier
Bulgaria
Ukraine
Relationship assessment
Substantial Bulgarian support for Ukraine, alongside political and agricultural trade tensions
Bulgaria toward Ukraine
+40The Bulgarian government has provided Ukraine with military and humanitarian assistance and supported its sovereignty and European integration. Bulgarian parliamentary and government decisions enabled military aid, although domestic political opposition and disputes over Ukrainian agricultural imports have constrained consensus.
Ukraine toward Bulgaria
+25Ukraine has engaged Bulgaria in bilateral political and practical cooperation and has pursued closer security ties. The specific scope and implementation of reciprocal commitments are less clear.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship combines Bulgarian assistance to Ukraine and support for its European path with recurring domestic political disputes and friction over Ukrainian agricultural imports. Security cooperation adds a collaborative dimension, while its durability and implementation remain uncertain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Bulgaria has supported Ukraine through military and humanitarian assistance and backing for its sovereignty and European integration. Relations also include practical cooperation, but Bulgarian domestic political divisions and disputes over Ukrainian agricultural imports have complicated support. Ukraine has maintained bilateral cooperation with Bulgaria, though the scope and implementation of specific reciprocal commitments are less clear.
Areas of tension
- Disputes over imports of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products
- Domestic political divisions in Bulgaria over military assistance to Ukraine
Key developments
Bulgaria's parliament authorized military assistance to Ukraine.
Bulgaria lifted its national restriction on imports of Ukrainian grain, amid continuing farmer protests and disputes over agricultural trade.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral security and defense cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of Ukraine's government-to-government cooperation with Bulgaria beyond public commitments is unclear.