Bulgarian lawmakers approved the first military aid shipments to Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbor in February, ending months of resistance from Russia-friendly political parties and the nation’s president.
The Balkan country, which has close cultural and economic ties with Russia, was one of only two Nato and European Union members to provide no weaponry to Ukraine so far in the conflict, with Hungary being the other.
Military support was hindered by political upheaval as Bulgaria potentially faces its fifth general election in less than two years. The country’s Moscow-friendly Socialist party, which was a part of a ruling coalition that lost power in August, has warned that the move may drag Bulgaria into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A nationalist party vowing to take Bulgaria out of Nato and the EU shared the concern.
“Stay calm, we’re not participating in the conflict,†Daniel Lorer, a lawmaker at one of the parties that supported the motion, said on Thursday. “By providing military aid to Ukraine along with our partners, we declare clearly that Bulgaria is a worthy ally that can be relied on.â€
A producer of Soviet-style machine guns and ammunition similar to those used in Ukraine, Bulgaria exports to other nations in the region, including Romania and Poland. Opposition parties have accused the authorities of selling arms to Ukraine through third countries while officially providing only humanitarian aid.
The government will now have a month to propose to parliament the type of equipment it can provide without reducing its own defensive capabilities.
—Bloomberg