Bulgaria's new government intends to start direct arms sales to Ukraine - Bloomberg
Weapons for the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be purchased at Kyiv's own expense
Bulgaria's new government is going to abandon the intermediary scheme in arms supplies to Ukraine to increase military support for Kyiv, Bloomberg writes.
Under the previous cabinet, weapons, including shells for Soviet artillery pieces, were delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces through third countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and Romania.
"Only children who never watch TV did not realize that we were exporting ammunition to Ukraine. It was done in a semi-secret manner, which is why we needed intermediaries," said Defense Minister Todor Tagarev, who took office three weeks ago.
He noted that allies who use intermediaries to buy from Bulgarian companies can continue to do so, but the republic will also sign contracts with Ukraine directly.
According to Tagarev, this refers to the option when weapons for the Armed Forces are purchased at Kyiv's own expense.
"In this case, we will try to work directly, because the inclusion of intermediaries puts us in a gray area, which carries risks," the Defense Minister said.
In addition, Bulgaria intends to join other EU countries in joint purchases of ammunition for Ukraine, as well as to find funding to modernize its state-owned factories so that they can produce weapons that meet modern NATO standards.
"Ukraine still needs international support. Without it, it is unclear what will happen, and my opinion is that we should not take any risks and see what happens," Tagarev emphasized.
Bulgaria is currently emerging from a political crisis that has led to five elections in two years. The coalition government wants to change the course set by President Rumen Radev. He has repeatedly spoken out against military support for Ukraine, for which he has been called a "servant of Russia" and "Putin's agent."
The day before, Bulgaria allocated a new military aid package to Kyiv. Its contents were not disclosed, but the Council of Ministers noted that "the approved list is comparable in scope to the first package." It included small arms and ammunition.
Background. Earlier, it was reported that the new Bulgarian government intends to join the EU's scheme to supply weapons to Ukraine.
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