Fifty-seven per cent of Bulgarians oppose the European Union financing the purchase and supply of military equipment to Ukraine, according a Eurobarometer poll, the findings of which were released on February 23.
Support among Bulgarians for doing so was just 33 per cent, the lowest in an EU country, according to the poll.
Bulgaria was one of three EU countries where a majority did not support EU financing for buying and providing military equipment to Ukraine.
The other two were Greece (36 per cent in favour) and Slovakia (38 per cent).
The EU average for those in favour was 65 per cent, Eurobarometer said.
Forty-seven per cent of Bulgarians back the EU’s sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, while 41 per cent are against and 12 per cent are undecided.
The percentage of Bulgarians in favour of the EU sanctions against Russia is, however, considerably lower than the EU average, which was 74 per cent.
Eighty-one per cent of Bulgarians supported the EU giving humanitarian aid to Ukraine, with 15 per cent against and four per cent undecided – compared with an EU average of 91 per cent agreeing with the provision of humanitarian support.
Seventy-three per cent of Bulgarians agreed with welcoming people fleeing the war, with 19 per cent against. Across the EU, 88 per cent were in favour of welcoming into the EU people fleeing the war.
Providing financial support to Ukraine was approved of 55 per cent of Bulgarians, against an EU average of 77 per cent.
The attitude in Bulgaria to banning Russian state-owned media such as Sputnik and Russia Today from broadcasting into the EU was in sharp contrast to the EU average.
The Eurobarometer poll found that 45 per cent of Bulgarians opposed the ban while 39 per cent were in favour. Across the EU, 67 per cent supported the ban.
Overall, a majority of European citizens (56 per cent) remain satisfied with the EU’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In Bulgaria, 48 per cent were satisfied and 42 per cent dissatisfied, with 10 per cent undecided.
A great majority of EU citizens (84 per cent) agree that the EU should reduce its dependency on Russian sources of energy as soon as possible. In Bulgaria, 65 per cent agreed and 23 per cent were against, with 12 per cent undecided.
(Photo, of Mariupol in March 2022: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine)
Source : The Sofia Globe
