Bulgarian parl approves sending military aid to Ukraine

The decision, combining proposals made by the largest political formation, GERB-UDF, and by anti-establishment Democratic Bulgaria, was adopted with 175 votes in favour, 49 against and one abstention in the 240-seat National Assembly, live video footage from parliament showed.

On Wednesday, Bulgaria's caretaker defence minister said that he will recommend sending to Ukraine only military aid that will not reduce the defence capacity of the Bulgarian army.

"It would be difficult for us to provide the heavy weaponry requested by Ukraine for the simple reason that we would lose specific capabilities that could not be so quickly restored. Let us not forget that Bulgaria borders the conflict and at some point we may find ourselves in a rather difficult situation," Dimitar Stoyanov told media, as quoted in a statement by the defence ministry.

In May, the previous Bulgarian parliament voted through a decision to provide repair services for Ukrainian military equipment in order to back Ukraine's resistance against the Russian invasion, alongside other humanitarian and political support measures.