At the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, a third of the weapons supplied to Kiev were supplied by Bulgaria. This was stated by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during a press conference at the Military-Mechanical Plant in Sopot, the largest ammunition plant in Bulgaria, TASS reported.
„I want to thank Bulgaria. At the beginning of the conflict, a third of the weapons used by Ukraine were supplied by Bulgaria,“ von der Leyen said.
She welcomed Bulgaria's plans “to increase the production of NATO-caliber gunpowder and shells“, a significant part of which “is intended for Ukraine“.
The head of the EC noted that this would create 1,000 new jobs in Sopot. She reiterated that by the end of the year, the production of shells in the EU would reach 2 million pieces and “will continue to grow“.
Von der Leyen visited Bulgaria as part of a tour of the so-called “frontline states“, which included the Baltic states, Finland, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. Of the countries bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, the European Commission did not include Hungary and Slovakia on this list. In each country, the head of the EC visits military facilities and calls for the acceleration of the militarization process of Europe.
The European Commission will continue to allocate funds from its budget to support Ukraine after the end of the conflict, she said in an interview with the British newspaper Financial Times.
According to her, “additional payments must be provided for the Ukrainian armed forces“. In particular, the European Union will continue to finance the training program for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Von der Leyen also said that the EU has “a clear roadmap“ for the deployment of European troops in Ukraine after the conflict is resolved, which has been agreed with the administration of US President Donald Trump. “President Trump assured us that there will be an American presence there as part of the support”, she said.