Bulgaria and Romania were two special states of the Eastern Bloc, whose foreign policies were diametrically opposed to each other. While Sofia was heavily influenced by Moscow, Bucharest paid little attention to its interests. Currently, Bulgaria and Romania are members of the European Union and NATO. They support anti- Russian sanctions, provide military assistance to Ukraine, and advocate for increased defense cooperation with the United States and strategic autonomy within the European Union. This article explores the security and defense policies of Bulgaria and Romania during the era of bipolarity. The author identifies the features of the Bulgarian and Romanian communist regimes and their main threats, assesses the role of the Soviet factor, and concludes that certain foreign policy traditions and ideas about national priorities, which were formed during the Cold War, are still evident in the current politics of Bulgaria and Romania.