"Sending military aid to Ukraine requires political unity, but also unity in society," Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said when announcing a public campaign to raise funds to help Ukraine purchase ammunition. The call caused a wave of comments and criticism, with some calling it a PR action of the Prime Minister, while some analysts even started talking about early elections.

The leader of one of the ruling coalition partners "There Is Such a People", Slavi Trifonov, described the idea as "monstrous nonsense."

"There are people who think that we must support Ukraine in every way, including with military aid. This is my clear position, too. However, collecting salaries from the people through our top politicians in order to give the money to the Ukrainians to buy weapons is an incomprehensible signal to the society", MP from Democratic Bulgaria Elisaveta Belobradova commented on Facebook.

A report by the Bulgarian National Radio showed that the opinions of citizens on the topic vary between both extremes.

"This call is alright and everyone can decide, according to their abilities, how much and how to donate," a citizen said. "It's a shame for people who work and still barely make the ends meet to donate money for weapons," another one answers. "I am against it. I suggest that the minister should come for a walk in the smaller towns and visit the shops there. The government must do its job well, so that people's love does not give them headaches," a woman from Haskovo says.

The words of the Prime Minister caused sharp reactions among representatives of the civic society. "Has the Prime Minister realized that he is leader of the country during a time of war and that this is not a start-up company for the production of coffee spoons from avocado peels?", world-famous animation artist Theodore Ushev wrote on Twitter.

In an article for Deutsche Welle political scientist Petar Cholakov, described Kiril Petkov's words as an attempt to escape responsibility, shifting the burden of power onto the citizens.

The visit of a Bulgarian delegation headed by Prime Minister Kiril Petkov to Kyiv today should serve as a catalyst for the Bulgarian position. The main goal is to see on spot the need for sending military aid to Ukraine. Whether the visit would contribute to the convergence of the positions of politicians on the topic, remains yet to be seen.

A decision on sending military aid to Ukraine is about which side Bulgaria will take in the conflict, Dr. Petar Moskov, leader of the Conservative Rightist Unity (KOD) and former Minister of Health says:

"Obviously, there is no such position and if there is one, it is half-hearted," he said in an interview with BNR Horizont. “The result of this is that one of the sides refers to us as an enemy country, while all the others have seen that Bulgaria cannot be counted on in times of hardship. A result of such governance is Bulgaria becoming a no-man’s land- a field of destruction, banditry and geopolitical experiments."

Here is what political scientist Evgenii Dainov says:

"This war has changed everything. From now on the actions of every politician or public figure during the war will be judged. Even if you try to hide from the winds of war, they they will catch up with you."

"The truth is that I do not want to reach a situation of early elections because this would give a chance to the past, in the face of Boyko Borissov, who could show appetites for power. But if the cabinet themselves wanted the government to collapse, then no one could help," said Arman Babikyan from the movement "We are Coming" in an interview with BNR Plovdiv.

"There are many hidden traps in every government, but there is also a reluctance to accept a simple fact - people don't have to like you when you're in power as the important thing is to do the right thing for your country. You are there to do the job and it is a tough job."

Expressions of gratitude for the idea of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov have also been heard. According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, "this move demonstrates Bulgaria's true solidarity with Ukraine." Meanwhile, it has become clear that Ukraine expects Bulgaria to provide weapons and support for future EU membership.

Compiled by: Yoan Kolev

English: Alexander Markov