Bulgaria wants to boost European military aid to Ukraine by expanding munition production

Bulgaria has started preparing a new military aid package for Ukraine.

Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev said in an interview with Glavkom that the country would also like to participate in increasing European military aid to Ukraine by expanding its production capacity, Rubryka reports.

As last time, the composition of the new military aid package will be classified. "I can only say that its basis is ammunition, but there is also military equipment," Tagarev noted.

He assured that Bulgaria "will be guided by Ukraine's priorities and will deliver what is needed at this stage."

Tagarev said that any package of military-technical assistance to Ukraine will now be provided without a second review by the parliament.

"We sped up the process of providing aid. Of course, it may not seem fast to the people at the front in Ukraine, but for us, it is a simplified and accelerated procedure to form and deliver the aid package," the minister said.

The country is ready to train 60 combat medics or even more every year.

"We have a fairly good base in Sofia and a fairly fast and effective course that we use to train our servicemen. We are also ready to train Ukrainians at this base," Tagarev added.

Also, Bulgaria would like to contribute to the increase of European military aid to Ukraine by increasing production. However, this requires investments, the country's defense minister said.

"Since Soviet times, Bulgaria has traditionally specialized in producing light weapons and ammunition. So we are ready, and it would be quite natural if Bulgaria invested in expanding existing and creating new weapons production facilities," said Tagarev.

Background

In March 2023, the pan-European publication Euractiv reported that over the past two years, Bulgaria, where pro-Russian sentiment is strong in society, has transferred weapons worth billions of dollars to Ukraine. Weapons were transported through other countries without signing direct agreements.

In January, the German publication Welt reported that Bulgaria secretly supplied fuel and ammunition to Ukraine in the first months of the invasion. Thus, Bulgaria provided a third of the needs of the Ukrainian army in the first six months of Russia's full-scale invasion. According to their information, the USA and Great Britain provided the supply.

In April, the Ministry of Defense of Bulgaria confirmed that it is conducting negotiations on the transfer of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine on the condition that it receives more modern combat aircraft from its Western partners.

Rubryka reported that the Bulgarian government approved a new military aid package to Ukraine on June 26.