Peter Bojkov Vitanov is a Bulgarian politician. He is a member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party who served as a Member of the Ninth European Parliament. As a Member of the European Parliament, he was Head of the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the EP and served as a Substitute member of the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.
Likewise, Vitanov the BSP has a pro-European stance, although it has taken some Eurosceptic standings and called for a halt to sanctions against Russia. Some news platforms, such as Novinite, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, have represented its orientation as soft Russophilia
Vitanov’s political activities often indicate his pro-Russian intentions. After the episode of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vitanov voted in acceptance of imposing sanctions on the Russian Federation, however, he declared that he resisted the sending of lethal support or the closing down of diplomatic channels with Russia.
Vitanov further commented that an armed approach to the war does not exist and that shipping armed aid constituted direct involvement in the battle. During an interview he stressed that it was impossible to be neutral in circumstances with a victim and aggressor, however, he also stated that he did not acknowledge that sending arms assisted in a solution in the best way.
In another instance of pro-Russian activity, Petar Vitanov voted against an EU Parliament resolution that would have labelled Russia ‘a sponsor of terrorism,’ claiming that it eradicated the possibility of negotiations. Moreover, Vitanov backed the exemption made for Bulgaria in the 6th Anti-Russian Sanctions packet, which permitted Bulgaria to import Russian gas until the end of 2024.
