The former Eastern Bloc country of Bulgaria does not have such combat aircraft itself, as Defense Minister Stefan Janew explained in Sofia on Saturday. The Bulgarian government will decide on the use of Spain’s Eurofighter jets this Monday, Yanev added.
Bulgaria has been a member of the defense alliance since 2004. The Balkan country is still equipped with Soviet-designed fighter jets. According to reports, there have been repeated Russian provocations on the Black Sea in recent years.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev had rejected Russian demands in the Ukraine conflict for NATO troops to be withdrawn from eastern member states such as Bulgaria on Friday as “unacceptable and groundless”. Radev, re-elected in November 2021, began his second five-year term on Saturday with a ceremonial military parade in central Sofia. The 58-year-old president used to be the chief of the Air Force and a fighter jet pilot.
Source: Nachrichten
