Bulgaria not ruling out sending MiG-29s to Ukraine, not for free
Ukraine could receive Bulgarian MiG-29 Soviet-made fighter jets as it seeks to beef up its air defences against Russian attacks, but through three-party agreements, the Bulgarian defence ministry said late on Monday.
While it was reported earlier that Bulgaria was negotiating sending Ukraine its aircraft, the ministry’s statement said it was not true.
"Such a decision would lead to a capability deficit, which is contrary" to Bulgaria’s constitution and armed forces law, it stressed.
"The ministry of defence has consistently held talks on the possibility of implementing the so-called ‘triangular deals’, to replace part of the available armaments with compatible ones from allied countries, without assuming a loss of capabilities," the ministry added.
Such talks have been held in accordance with the decision of Bulgarian parliament in December 2022 to provide military and military-technical assistance to Ukraine.
Ukraine has long been pushing for being sent fighter jets, claiming that its current Soviet-era aircraft are not capable of countering offensives of Russian forces and are too old to be combat-effective.
So far, no country has committed to providing Ukraine with such aircraft. Poland and Slovakia, however, have started transferring MiG-29 Soviet fighter jets from their stockpiles.