In Bulgaria, von der Leyen was pelted with fruit and eggs

Protesting activists pelted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with eggs during her visit to Bulgaria, reports Bulgarian National Television (BNT).

Earlier, it was reported that the European Commission chief had been pelted with fruit in the Bulgarian city of Varna.

"Protesters pelted [von der Leyen’s] motorcade with fruit, vegetables, and eggs," reports BNT from the scene.

As the BTA agency previously reported, several dozen demonstrators waved Bulgarian flags and the flags of the "Revival" (Vazrazhdane) party. The activists greeted the EU official with shouts of "Ursula, you are not welcome here!" and calls for her to leave the city.

Meanwhile,  Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has confirmed that his country is not in a position to allocate funds for loans to Ukraine. He made the statement during a joint briefing with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Varna.

"Bulgaria has never ceased its support for Ukraine. We provide free aid to thousands of Ukrainian families, assist with electricity supplies, help repair the energy grid, and support the maintenance of railway transport. We are currently facing a major deficit and are required to stay within the 3% deficit threshold, so we simply do not have any extra funds. However, Bulgaria is not blocking EU decisions. We allow other countries to provide assistance as they are able," the prime minister said.

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Source of information: Global News Agencies including REUTERS / TASS / AFP / ANADOLU / INT.RU / Al Jazeera / CNN