site.btaDefence Minister: "Everything Bulgaria Has Sent to Ukraine Is of Defence Character, There Is No Need for Restrictions on Its Use"

"Bulgaria adheres to the Charter of the United Nations with regard to aid to Ukraine, especially since everything we have sent as packages is of an exclusively defence character," caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said on bTV Saturday. He explained that the BTR armoured personnel carriers from Bulgaria are in Ukraine's civil defence, they are used for internal defence, as are the cartridges Bulgaria sent, so there is no point in imposing restrictions.

The minister was asked whether the weapons sent to Kyiv could be used to strike military targets on Russian territory.

According to the UN Charter, Ukraine, as a victim of aggression, can both receive aid and use the aid provided to it in any way it sees fit. That is to say, the use by the Ukrainian side of military systems provided to it to strike military targets on the territory of Russia is not a violation of international law, the Minister explained.

Atanas Zapryanov said he does not share President Rumen Radev's opinion that all NATO member states are involved in the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv in one way or another.

He reiterated that the issue of sending Bulgarian troops to Ukraine had never been discussed, neither under the previous government nor now, by the caretaker government. This topic, if it is to be discussed, is within the competence of the Bulgarian Parliament, he said.

"At this stage, the caretaker cabinet is implementing resolutions by the National Assembly, including that we are participating in the training of the Ukrainian armed forces outside the territory of Ukraine and we as a caretaker government have no right at all to think about joining an initiative [for sending personnel]," explained Zapryanov.

It also transpired from the Minister's answers in the bTV interview that the caretaker government is yet to decide who will lead the Bulgarian delegation at the NATO summit in Washington. "A common national position on the issues discussed should also be adopted. It is possible, depending on how the domestic political situation develops, for this decision to be made by a political government," he added. 

The Minister said further that, most likely, the renovated runway at Graf Ignatievo airbase, which will be used by F-16 aircraft, will be commissioned very soon. It is currently being tested and expert assessments are being carried out. "The problem is with some facilities that need to be certified by the US, where some catching up is needed. At the end of August, the picture with missile storage will be clear. The companies that are behind schedule are already doing their best to catch up. If we certify these four facilities, we can safely say that in the first quarter of 2025 we will receive F-16 on our territory," Atanas Zapryanov said. He said that paying rent to another country to keep the F-16 there is not an option.