Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, March 19, 2022
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, March 19, 2022
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)
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.
