What do the first months of Rumen Radev's rule look like? Is there a risk of new mass protests in the fall? Here's what the British "Guardian" saw in Sofia:
A transactional foreign policy with the US and Europe and moves that can be interpreted as beneficial to Russia - this is how the British "Guardian" correspondent Eden McLachlan describes the first months of Rumen Radev's power.
"There is a lack of ideological consistency"
The journalist recalls how in May Bulgaria announced an end to military support for Ukraine, and then refused to sign up to the creation of a special tribunal to investigate Russian crimes during the war. In Paris, Bulgaria was withdrawn from the "coalition of the willing", and military support was labeled only as a means to continue the bloodshed. At the same time, Bulgaria agreed to grant eight American military tankers the right to support US operations in the Middle East from the Bulgarian military base Bezmer.
"There is a lack of ideological consistency in the way he conducts his foreign policy," commented Maria Simeonova of the European Council on Foreign Policy. In this regard, "The Guardian" also emphasizes Radev's newfound sympathy for Eastern Orthodoxy. In June "Progressive Bulgaria" supported the March for the Family, which opposes Pride, and then Sofia threatened to block the European pact of sanctions against Russia because it includes Patriarch Kirill.
A source of the British publication, close to Patriarch Daniil and the church, says that Radev's behavior is motivated only by political motives and has nothing to do with the church and religion. "I think this was a gesture towards Moscow. There is no practical benefit for either Bulgaria or Radev", he also commented.
More damage to Bulgaria than to the EU
According to Maria Simeonova, Radev will not be as destructive to the EU as Viktor Orban. "The difference is that Orban's actions had consequences for the European Union and Hungary, while Radev's actions will have consequences for Bulgaria, marginalizing the country and isolating business from opportunities," she tells the "Guardian".
At the end of the report, Eden MacLachlan also draws attention to the controversial budget adopted by the government, and recalls how the previous draft budget brought down Zhelyazkov's cabinet. The author warns that the Bulgarian prime minister may have problems in the fall. "Now we see that he lied to us," Tsvetelina Mareva tells the British "Guardian". "In September I am sure there will be protests," the 27-year-old woman adds.