On Tuesday, Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said his country has no plans to send heavy weapons to Ukraine. While most NATO countries have followed the US in arming Ukraine, Bulgaria has held out, limiting its assistance to humanitarian aid and repairing some Ukrainian military equipment.
“We’ll do what we have promised to do and there’s no need to reignite the debate every two weeks,” Petkov said. “We’ve supported the incoming refugees, we have sent all kinds of humanitarian aid, we have also been involved with repairing Ukraine’s heavy weapons and we’re in line with all sanctions against Russia.”
Petkov added that Bulgaria has “done enough” and will continue supporting Ukraine as it has been doing. The Bulgarian leader had previously favored sending arms to Ukraine but had to drop the plan over the opposition from parties in his coalition government. The parties eventually agreed that they wouldn’t send arms or ammunition.
Petkov’s comments came after Ukraine’s ambassador in Bulgaria asked for heavy weapons. “Now is the time when we need the weapons that Bulgaria has,” said Ambassador Vitaly Moskalenko.
Bulgaria’s stance on weapons is another example of the growing divisions between NATO and EU members over what level of support they should be providing Ukraine. France, Germany, and Italy have been calling for negotiations to end the war and have been more cautious about sending heavy weapons. The US, Britain, the Baltic states, and several Eastern European countries have been more eager to send advanced arms and have been discouraging peace talks.
Bulgaria is on the front line when Ukraine falls to Russia in the East and Poland in the West. They have no desire to throw gasoline on the fire.
Also, perhaps they need their money at home for their own citizens.
If only we can spend our money on our own citizens. What we spent on Ukraine so far could’ve already built a small home for 500,000 homeless people. Wouldn’t that be nice for our cities instead of using the money to destroy Ukrainian cities?
Global arms industry getting shakeup by war in Ukraine – and China and US look like winners from Russia’s stumbles
As the U.S. and its allies pour significant resources into Ukraine and Russia bleeds tanks and personnel, countries across the world are rethinking defense budgets, materiel needs and military relationships. Countries that historically have had low levels of defense spending such as Japan and Germany are bulking up, while nations that purchase most of their weapons from Russia are questioning their reliability and future delivery.
Russia’s general sales pitch for its weapons has been they’re “cheaper and easier to maintain than Western alternatives.” This is why Russia accounted for 19% of the world’s arms exports from 2017 to 2021, second only to the U.S., which had 39% of the market.
However, this pitch may no longer be effective for many countries that have seen Russian equipment losses and failures in Ukraine.
To date, the U.S. estimates Russia has lost almost a thousand tanks, at least 50 helicopters, 36 fighter-bombers and 350 artillery pieces, according to Business Insider. Thousands of Russian soldiers have been killed, with estimates ranging from about 15,000 to as high as 30,000, and Russia is still unable to control Ukraine’s airspace.
The situation has become so dire that there are reports that commanders are trying to preserve equipment by forbidding troops from using them to evacuate wounded soldiers or to support units that have advanced too far.
Russia’s offensive weapons have also proved disappointing. Its missile failure rate – the share that either failed to launch, malfunctioned mid-flight or missed their target – may be as high as 50% to 60% due to design flaws and outdated or inferior equipment.
These problems, along with the Russian military’s slow progress achieving any of President Vladimir Putin’s stated objectives, have raised serious doubts among the country’s traditional customers for weapons exports. Russia sells almost 90% of its weapons to just 10 countries, including India, Egypt and China.
What’s more, Russia’s ability to replace these equipment losses has been hampered by economic sanctions, which bars key foreign components like circuit boards. And Russia will almost certainly need to replace its own military hardware before it exports anything abroad.
That means that even countries that want to keep buying Russian tanks and fighter jets will have to wait in line or turn elsewhere to fulfill their defense needs.
Some of those numbers you show are impossible to believe. Almost 1000 tanks lost and 15,000-30,000 Russians KIA I refuse to believe it unless I see the facts.
Great Job, Little Hitler (Putin). He has ruined the Russian Paper Army’s reputation.
why don’t you volunteer and go test them out? Ukraine is looking for more cannon fodder.
I told people that EU expansion had limits. Sidenote: I am video watching a man shop at a Russian market with real convesion of 5 different currency prices. Eggs are cheaper in Russia (even factoring in they are in groups of 10 vs a dozen) than where I live!!!
It’s not surprising that eggs and other foodstuffs will be cheaper as Russia is a major exporter of food
That is what my spend-aholic government has given me/us.*
Inflation. That a government under sanctions has cheaper foodstuffs and a more sound currency. So-called Progressives along with majority of Republicans are now proWar. I didn’t vote for war time sacrifice.
*including (but not limited to) Biden
Bulgaria. Wisdom, Intelligence, Foresight. The see the final outcome
Ukraine is dictatorial in their demands to everyone, like anyone owes that cesspool of corruption and dictatorship anything.
Several commentators on this site have recommended that we send US fighter planes to Ukraine. I agree. For the escort-protection of a one-way flight of a Boeing 777-300 also provided by us. That plane can take up to 550 passengers from Kyiv to Warsaw.
On board: Zelenski and every one of his cabinet members as well as military commanders who choose to join him. Objective: a cease fire in Ukraine and the start of negotiations for a settlement.
Germany basically isn’t sending anything at this point, despite all sorts of promises. Scholz is clearly having second thoughts about the situation – and rightly so.
This is important because Bulgaria is one of the few remaining places with a lot of former Soviet weapons that Ukraine already uses and knows how to use.
It is also important to the US military industry, because re-supply of Bulgaria with new US weapons is a US military industrial goal.
The world after anti-Russian sanctions according to Dmitry Medvedev:
1 A number of global supply chains are collapsing.
2 The energy crisis will deepen, fossil fuel prices will continue to rise.
3 The international food crisis will lead to famine in some countries.
4 Monetary and financial crisis will deepen, instability of some national currencies, runaway inflation and the destruction of the legal system protecting private property.
5 New regional military conflicts.
6 Terrorism will become more active.
7 New epidemics will break out caused by the Western development and use of biological weapons.
8 International Western institutions have lost all credibility.
9 New international alliances are forming.
10 New security architectures are being created.
This is the end of the Western hegemony over the globe. The Western world has collapsed in a pile of its own corrupt filth. What i call FASCISM.