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Bulgarian lawmakers have approved the country’s first military aid package to Ukraine, involving a classified weapons list prepared by the government.
The National Assembly voted 148 to 46 with one abstention in favor of sending the arms to Kiev after months of political wrangling among Balkan NATO members over the issue.
Bulgaria had previously agreed to repair Ukrainian military equipment at its factories but refused to ship the weapons directly due to opposition from President Rumen Radev and the country’s pro-Moscow political parties.
Like Hungary, Bulgaria was the only EU member state that initially refused to supply Ukraine with arms following the Russian invasion.
While the full weapons list remains classified, cabinet members told reporters ahead of the vote that it included small arms and ammunition.
Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said in a television interview that the aid was “fully in line with Ukraine’s priorities”, but added that Bulgaria would not supply either the S-300 missile system or the MiG- 29 fighters.
Politicians also approved an agreement between the Bulgarian and Ukrainian defense ministries on the transfer of weapons, equipment and ammunition.
The agreement includes the training of up to 60 personnel from the Ukrainian Armed Forces as combat medics.
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