Ukraine, Bulgaria to jointly produce drones under new security deal
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Ukraine and Bulgaria concluded a 10-year security agreement on March 30 under which Sofia commits to help fund Ukrainian air defenses and co-produce arms.
The deal was signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky and Bulgarian Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov during the latter's visit to Kyiv.
Bulgaria agreed to invest in the joint production of arms, including drones, under the EU's SAFE (Security Action for Europe) program.
The Balkan country will also purchase U.S. air defense equipment for Ukraine under NATO's Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative and will cooperate with Kyiv on demining in the Black Sea.
"An important point that we also discussed today is the joint production of various weapons, including drones, on the territory of our countries," Zelensky said during a joint press conference with Gyurov.
The two countries also agreed to cooperate beyond defense, covering Sofia's support for Ukraine's EU accession and natural gas supplies.
Gyurov, Bulgaria's caretaker prime minister since February, visited Ukraine alongside Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neyski, Transport Minister Korman Ismailov, Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov, and other top officials.
As part of his visit, Gyurov held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, Yuliia Svyrydenko, and Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk.
A NATO and EU member, Bulgaria has backed Kyiv since the outbreak of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, playing a major role in supplying Soviet-era military equipment in the early phases of the war.
After years of turbulent politics, the country is heading into yet another parliamentary election on April 19, with Progressive Bulgaria, led by former president and long-time critic of military support for Ukraine, Rumen Radev, leading in the polls.
