NATO ally Bulgaria rules out military aid for Ukraine

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin (L) shakes hands with Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov speak during a joint press conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, on March 19, 2022. (Nikolay Doychinov/AFP)
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin (L) shakes hands with Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov speak during a joint press conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, on March 19, 2022. (Nikolay Doychinov/AFP)

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov has ruled out providing military aid to Ukraine but says his country, a NATO ally, will continue to provide humanitarian assistance.

“Being so close to the conflict, right now I have to say that currently we will not be able to send military assistance to Ukraine. This will not be possible,” Petkov says today at a news conference in the Bulgarian capital with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Bulgaria, which does not border Ukraine but has received thousands of refugees, has agreed to host a new contingent of NATO troops as part of the alliance’s push to reinforce its eastern flank. That contingent includes about 150 US Army infantry soldiers.

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