Sanctions — 2026-07-05

Bulgaria Demands Removal of Patriarch Kirill and Lukoil Executive From EU Sanctions List as Price for Backing 21st Package

BLUFBulgaria's veto threat will likely force Brussels to drop Patriarch Kirill from the 21st sanctions package by mid-July, preserving unanimity at the cost of symbolic concession to Moscow.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev told parliament on Friday he will formally oppose the EU's 21st Russia sanctions package unless two names are struck from the list: Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church and Vagit Alekperov, a Lukoil co-founder tied to the company's Bulgarian operations 12. Radev said the demand reflects Bulgaria's energy interests, citing the Burgas refinery's difficulty sourcing crude after a November court attachment linked to a Litasco loan dispute restricted purchases from Swiss-registered suppliers 1. He said Bulgaria and Litasco have since reached an agreement to lift that restriction, describing it as a first step toward an out-of-court settlement of Litasco's separate 3 billion euro arbitration claim against Bulgaria 1. On Kirill, Radev said his objection is not to the individual but to sanctioning the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a position Italy has also raised 23. The EU is aiming to finalize the package by July 15, tied to the Russian oil price cap review 2.

Analysis
Radev's demand is likely to force cosmetic rather than substantive revision to the 21st package, since the Alekperov objection was already resolving through the separate Litasco arbitration before parliament, leaving Kirill as the harder sticking point once Rome echoes Sofia's concern. Twenty prior rounds cleared through last-minute narrow carve-outs, but whether the package clears by July 15 depends on both Bulgaria and Italy receiving concessions they can sell domestically. The finalized package will likely exclude Patriarch Kirill from the designated-persons list within the next 10 days, consistent with the established EU pattern of yielding on this specific name to preserve unanimity. Low confidence reflects a single primary transcript with no EU-side confirmation of how Brussels intends to accommodate either objection. The rolling mechanism's urgency for drone-component sanctions derives partly from this blockade on the main package.

4 sources

Bulgarian PM Rumen Radev Says He Will Oppose EU's 21st Sanctions Package Against Russia - BTA (Bulgarian Telegraph Agency)
Bulgaria demands removal of two names from EU sanctions list in exchange for backing 21st package - Ukrainska Pravda
Bulgaria demands removal of two names from EU sanctions list in exchange for backing 21st package - European Pravda
Bulgarian President sets conditions for supporting EU's 21st Russia sanctions package - AzerNews