France Accelerates Weapons Production to Support Ukraine
France has announced plans to expedite the production and delivery of essential military equipment to support Ukrainian forces
HOT: » Assessing the Legacy of Bulgaria's "Denkov" Cabinet: Achievements, Failures, and What Comes Next
“There is no way for our MiGs fighter jets to be repaired in Russia. That can't happen right now - sending hundreds of millions to Putin. This is a complete abstraction,” said Prime Minister Kiril Petkov during his visit to the preliminary reception center for people fleeing the war in Ukraine at the Danube Bridge border checkpoint.
“Now the question is what are we doing so that the Bulgarian sky has enough protection, how do we coordinate with the Alliance. And what are we doing so that Bulgarian pilots can keep their ability to fly with the planes we currently have, are what are the other places where they can be repaired. But the idea at the moment to send these planes to Russia through some secondary companies is completely absurd,” Petkov said.
“Bulgaria is NATO, Bulgaria is the EU. Our overall security depends on our municipalities' coordinated actions. Russia should comply with all of us because it is not normal to have such aggression in the 21st century,” he said.
President Radev insists “not to allow hysterical ideologizing of the problem”
At the same time, at a joint press conference in Bucharest with his Romanian counterpart Klaus Johannes yesterday, President Rumen Radev commented that “he has always supported enhanced protection of Bulgaria's airspace, which allows not only greater security in our region, but also much more - good training of Bulgarian pilots.”
Bulgarian President: The Security System in Europe is Collapsing before our Eyes
Radev reminded of the expected delay in the delivery of the F-16 fighter jets agreed by Bulgaria, which are expected to arrive in our country after 2025. The President called on the Bulgarian government and the Ministry of Defense for “urgent measures and clarity on whether they will be able to maintain the MiG-29 fighters in the Russian Federation or, if this is not possible, with the support of another or a partner country.”
“If this is not possible, we must look for intermediate solutions with other equipment and another way at least until 2030. This is a nationally responsible position,” Radev said.
He also called for “not allowing ignorance or hysterical ideologization of the problem with regard to the maintenance of our fighter aircraft, which would mean that Bulgaria abdicates from the protection of its own airspace, its own air sovereignty and its obligations to collective defense in NATO.”
/OFFNews
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