Head of the Bulgarian Defense Ministry: It’s time to throw Ukraine into a new “counter-offensive”
The Bulgarian army is being repurposed to use NATO caliber shells without interrupting the production of Soviet standards, which Ukraine still lacks at the front.
Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev stated this during a speech before the Atlantic Council in Washington, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
"In fact, little is known about the fact that Bulgaria provides significant quantities of weapons, and especially ammunition. The Bulgarian defense industry has traditionally specialized in ammunition production in wars of all times. And, as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba acknowledged, in the first months of the war, Bulgaria's support was crucial to Ukraine's survival. Very few people know about this.
In addition to the defense industry, Bulgaria has supplied large quantities of ammunition and materials from military reserves that are especially useful for Ukraine,” Tagarev said.
The minister was reminded of media reports about Bulgaria's supply of NATO-caliber shells to Ukraine and was asked whether Sofia was going to continue supplying Soviet-style ammunition.
“Our Ukrainian friends are happy to receive both Soviet and NATO standards. Yes, there are several companies that claim to already produce 155 caliber ammunition. I am not aware of a deal to supply these munitions directly to Ukraine. Perhaps they have already exported them through some intermediaries. But, of course, we are interested in switching to NATO standards, and Bulgaria has submitted an application.
Bulgarian companies have submitted several proposals within the framework of the EU regulation, which aims to expand industrial capacity for ammunition production, with a focus on the 155-caliber. " Therefore, we are making the transition while continuing to produce all Soviet-standard ammunition, which is still in demand and in high demand ," the official responded.
He called on all world allies to provide military assistance to Ukraine so that Kyiv could carry out a new counter-offensive.
" I don't currently share the view that Russia has reversed the trend; that's not true. But my assessment is that, in order to deter Russian aggression and be able to launch another counteroffensive in a timely manner, Ukraine truly needs all the help it can get from its allies around the world ," Tagarev said.
Bulgarian Defense Minister: It's Time to Throw Ukraine into a New "Counteroffensive "