Until now, Bulgaria remained one of the two EU countries (along with neutral Ireland) that did not join the European Defense Agency (EDA). Through it, EU countries conduct joint purchases of ammunition for Ukraine. This was partly explained by internal political instability (five elections were held in Bulgaria in the last two years), partly by a fairly large number of politicians who sympathize with Russia.
But now the situation must change, Defense Minister Todor Tagarev, who took office last week along with other colleagues in the newly formed government, said in an interview with Politico.
"We absolutely clearly want to join this coalition. I think we will be able to partially provide for Ukraine's ammunition needs," he said.
According to Tagarev, a political decision on joining the EDA has not yet been made, "but we will definitely make an effort and, I believe, we will find a way."
In December 2022, the then government approved an aid package for Ukraine, but it was mainly small arms, of which Bulgaria is a major producer. In Soviet times, under a license from the USSR, Kalashnikov assault rifles were produced at the Friedrich Engels factory in the city of Kazanluk. Currently, the plant is managed by the private company Arsenal.
The supply was opposed, in particular, by the Socialist Party (the successor to the Communist Party), which was part of the ruling coalition before its collapse in August. Nevertheless, Bulgaria turned out to be one of the main suppliers of ammunition and diesel fuel to Ukraine at the very beginning of the war. They were delivered, however, through third countries - Poland, Romania, Hungary.
The heads of the government at that time decided to respond to Kyiv's call for help in an unpopular manner.
"According to our estimates, about a third of the ammunition that the Ukrainian army needed at the initial stage of the war came from Bulgaria," former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov told Die Welt in January 2023.
And Bulgarian supplies of diesel fuel supplied up to 40% of Ukraine's needs at that time, added Asen Vasilev, who worked under him as the Minister of Finance.
In April 2022, the Ukrainian army was running out of ammunition, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed to Die Welt: "We knew that Bulgaria had a lot of ammunition, so President Zelenskyy sent me (to Sofia, - ed.) to get the necessary material means".
The EU countries agreed to provide Ukraine with 1 million 155-millimeter projectiles for EUR 1 billion by March 2024. Supplies are already coming from our own stocks, another EUR 1 billion have been allocated for their replenishment and EUR 500 million for investments in additional production capacities. Procurement is done through EDA.
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