Bulgaria has not yet sent Ukraine promised APCs, government explains why
On 17 January, Todor Tagarev, Bulgarian Defence Minister, has said that the shipment of 100 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) from the Ministry of Internal Affairs warehouses to Ukraine, as agreed last year, has not yet begun.
Source: European Pravda with reference to the BNR
Details: At a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence, Tagarev said that the logistics part of the delivery of APCs to Ukraine is already clear: "It is already clear who will load them and where they will go. Again, this is a very serious logistics operation."
Quote: "We also know the amount of money that is needed (for transportation – ed.). It would be feasible for our budget, but first, we will try the Ramstein format to see if any of our other allies will say: "Oh, that's a very good idea; I'll pay for the transport," he added.
The Bulgarian Defence Minister stated that if the Ramstein allies do not agree to pay for the APCs transportation, "we will look for other options", including through a separate decision of the Bulgarian parliament.
Background:
- In November 2023, the National Assembly of Bulgaria ratified an intergovernmental agreement between Sofia and Kyiv, which provides for the supply of 100 written off armoured personnel carriers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria to Ukraine.
- At the same time, the Bulgarian side claimed that even without the ratification of the agreement, it was possible to transfer the first APCs last autumn.
- As previously reported, the APCs (armoured personnel carriers) have been in the possession of the Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs since the 1980s. This is the first time that the Bulgarian side has transferred armoured vehicles to Kyiv directly, rather than through intermediaries, as it had done before.
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