Bulgaria will not support new European Union sanctions against the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, nor measures that would directly affect the oil company Lukoil and its subsidiaries, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova has said. Speaking to reporters in parliament, Petrova stressed that Sofia's position is clear: Bulgaria supports only sanctions that bring real economic consequences and do not harm EU member states more than the warring parties themselves.

"We support sanctions that have economic consequences, that do not punish member states more than warring countries, and that are not merely symbolic," she said.

According to the minister, imposing sanctions on Patriarch Kirill would create a favorable environment for anti-European propaganda, being interpreted as interference in the affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church.

She also added that such measures, such as freezing personal assets, would have no real impact on his activity and would be more symbolic than effective.

The name of Patriarch Kirill, who has publicly supported the war in Ukraine, has often been mentioned as a possible target of punitive measures by the EU. In 2022, his inclusion on the sanctions list was previously blocked by Hungary.

"Our main priority is to maintain the country's energy stability," Petrova stressed, underlining that some EU countries have similar concerns about the impact of sanctions on energy security.

Meanwhile, the European Union has recently adopted another package of sanctions against individuals and entities supporting Russia in the war in Ukraine, while new measures are being discussed as part of the 21st round of sanctions since the start of the war in 2022.