Protesters confronted US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Bulgaria, on Saturday, as he met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov.

As Austin and Petkov met for a joint press conference, demonstrators appeared to be protesting any military assistance for Ukraine, holding up Bulgarian and Russian flags.

It is worth mentioning that NATO's top players, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and 17 other European nations, have provided lethal weapons worth billions of dollars to Ukraine.

"No War, No NATO"

USB activists have organized protests in Rome and Pisa against the shipment of weapons to Ukraine.

A week ago, the Pisa branch of the union reported that workers at the airport cargo terminal discovered batches of weapons and ammunition labeled as humanitarian aid bound for Ukraine.

Simultaneously, the workers refused to load weapons into the aircraft. Lethal weapons are being supplied to Ukraine under the guise of humanitarian aid, according to a USB statement, though the airport administration and the Italian government have both denied the claims.

"First, we protest against sending military materials, against Italy's participation in the war in Ukraine. Secondly, we oppose the involvement of civilian employees in the loading of weapons. I don't think the authorities are unaware that civilian aircraft traffic is now being used to carry military supplies," a USB Spokesperson told Sputnik.

Participants in Pisa held banners and chanted slogans such as "Bridges of peace, not war from Tuscany," "Italy, get out of NATO and war," and "No War, No NATO."

The protest that was held near a military airfield in Rome was directed not only against Italy's involvement in the Ukrainian conflict but also against the presence of military bases in the capital.

"We stand for complete neutrality, in Europe, Italy, and Ukraine. Arms spending takes away funds that could be spent on higher wages," a demonstrator said as quoted by Sputnik.