Bulgarian president vetoes armored vehicle supply to Ukraine: PM Denkov expects parliament to override
Photo: From open sources
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has vetoed the free provision of 100 armored vehicles to Ukraine.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov is confident that the majority in parliament will reject the veto imposed by the country's leader, Rubryka reports, citing nova.bg and Novinite.
Reportedly, Radev has sent back a law ratifying the agreement under which Bulgaria provides armored vehicles to Ukraine for free for further discussion in parliament.
The veto cited a lack of sufficient familiarity among lawmakers with specific supply parameters, preventing an objective assessment of the necessity for the provided equipment.
Radev emphasized that the armored vehicles provided to Ukraine, with enhanced off-road capability, could safeguard the Bulgarian border and assist the population in case of disasters and emergencies, including in hard-to-reach areas.
"I am guided by the belief that the safety, health, and lives of Bulgarian citizens should be a priority," said the president.
However, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov is confident that the majority in parliament will reject the veto imposed by President Rumen Radev on the Agreement to supply 100 armored vehicles to Ukraine.
"This veto will be overridden, so I don't see anything to comment on," Denkov said.
The previously ratified document specifies that Bulgaria will provide Ukraine with 100 armored personnel carriers with weapons from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
As Rubryka reported, the National Assembly of Bulgaria, at its recent session on Wednesday, November 22, ratified the agreement between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on the provision of armored vehicles and corresponding weapons and spare parts to Ukraine.
The agreement says that Bulgaria will supply armored personnel carriers, weapons, spare parts, and all Ministry of Internal Affairs excesses. The APCs were purchased decades ago during the communist regime.
Bulgaria's assistance to Ukraine
Bulgaria has been providing various assistance to Ukraine from the early days of the full-scale Russian invasion. In late September, the Bulgarian parliament voted in a non-traditional procedure behind closed doors for the supply of non-operational S-300 missiles to Ukraine.
Bulgaria also decided to join the joint procurement of ammunition for Ukraine.
Bulgaria will reportedly continue to assist Ukraine at military, political, diplomatic, and humanitarian levels. It will also support the Ukrainian Formula for Peace.
