Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has once again set off down a path that increasingly resembles that of Hungarian PM Orban - this time by opposing the EU sanctions against the Russian patriarch Kirill.

Bulgaria's foreign minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova confirmed that Sofia opposes sanctions against the Russian patriarch and refuses to back measures hitting the energy-sector subsidiaries of "Lukoil." The reasoning: such measures are "symbolic in nature" and "counterproductive," and allegedly open the door to anti-European propaganda claiming the EU is meddling in religious affairs.

This is no isolated move. The same government previously suspended direct military aid to Ukraine and refused to support the creation of a special tribunal for Putin. The EU, for its part, accuses Kirill of backing the Russian invasion and spreading revisionist propaganda. Despite Bulgaria's objection, the European Commission expects swift approval of the renewed sanctions, citing pressure from the G7.

For Macedonia, Bulgarian policy always comes with a direct price. When Sofia plays the Russia-Europe line on its own account, the question of our EU integration - which Bulgaria has held hostage for years - becomes even more uncertain. The Balkans know it well: when a neighbor picks between Brussels and Moscow by the day's interests, the small countries around it pay the tax on that indecision. Whether Europe will finally draw a clear line, or once again give ground to preserve unity - that remains open.