11:32 11.04.2023

Bulgaria negotiating transfer of MiG-29 to Ukraine, subject to receipt of new aircraft instead

2 min read
Bulgaria negotiating transfer of MiG-29 to Ukraine, subject to receipt of new aircraft instead

The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense confirmed the fact of negotiations on the transfer of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, subject to the receipt of more modern combat aircraft from Western partners, the EFE agency reported on Monday.

In addition, the ministry said they were not going to transfer fighter jets to Kyiv for free.

EFE said Bulgaria currently has 16 MiG-29 fighters, of which only six are operational. Due to EU sanctions against Russia, Bulgaria can no longer receive technical assistance from the Russian side.

Initially, Bulgaria's contacts with partners regarding the possible transfer of aircraft to Ukraine were reported in secret Pentagon documents that were recently freely available on social networks.

EFE said if Bulgaria decides now to transfer its MiG-29s to Ukraine, then it will remain without fighters for at least a year and a half, since a batch of F-16s previously purchased from the United States will arrive only in 2025.

At the same time, the agency said Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has repeatedly spoken out against the supply of weapons to Ukraine and expressed the hope that the country's government will no longer supply weapons to Ukraine. At the moment, an interim government is working in Bulgaria, appointed precisely by Radev.

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