Bulgaria's new Defense Minister promises to speed up military assistance to Ukraine
Photo: Bulgaria's interim Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov (Getty Images)
The newly appointed interim Minister of Defense of Bulgaria, Atanas Zapryanov, has promised to speed up the provision of military assistance to Ukraine, according to Novinite.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Zapryanov emphasized the urgency of accelerating the provision of two packages of military assistance to Ukraine.
"We will try to speed up aid to Ukraine," stated Zapryanov. "Further opportunities for direct military assistance will be considered".
Recognizing the critical need for swift action, Zapryanov stated that the interim government cannot afford a prolonged period of inaction and must prioritize increasing the pace of activity.
Additionally, the new head of Bulgaria's Defense Ministry emphasized the importance of completing a strategic review in the defense sector and outlined plans to address existing problems in the armed forces and enhance the country's defense capabilities.
Bulgaria's assistance to Ukraine
From the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion, Bulgaria has been providing various forms of assistance to Ukraine. Earlier, behind closed doors, the Bulgarian parliament voted to supply Ukraine with non-operational S-300 missiles.
In July of last year, it became known that Bulgaria could provide Ukraine with about 100 armored vehicles from the Ministry of Internal Affairs warehouses.
In December, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev vetoed the free provision of armored vehicles to Ukraine.
However, later, the National Assembly of Bulgaria (Parliament) overcame President Rumen Radev's veto on the supply of armored vehicles to Ukraine.
On February 28, Bulgaria announced new military aid to Ukraine, which included armored personnel carriers.
In March, Bulgaria sent Ukraine the first 30 wagons with armored personnel carriers.
The total Bulgarian assistance to Ukraine has already reached 47 million euros.
