Bulgaria wants U.S. to allow visa-free travel for its nationals, says PM

SOFIA - Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev on Wednesday said he spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump over the phone and brought up visa-free travel for Bulgarian nationals to the U.S.

"In my conversation with the American president, I insistently raised the issue of lifting U.S. visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens and I expect this matter to be considered urgently," Radev said before chairing a cabinet meeting.

Here are some details:

• NATO member Bulgaria hosts U.S. military aircraft in its capital, Sofia.

• Bulgaria has said more than a dozen U.S. aircraft are authorised to transit through Bulgarian airspace and land in Sofia for refueling until the end of May.

• Radev said he spoke to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and expected a request for U.S. military aircraft to remain in Sofia beyond May.

• Radev won a landslide election victory in a parliamentary election on April 19.

• Some saw his campaign as Kremlin-friendly as he raised concerns about Bulgaria joining the euro zone and about military support for Ukraine.

• Radev denies he is pro-Russian and says that he will follow an EU path and has already met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

(Reporting by Alex Lefkowitz; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 1:26 AM.