"Bulgaria is a victim of Russian propaganda, as false data is being released that our military will be sent to Ukraine. This cannot happen", said Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov on bTV, quoted by novini.bg.
"The activity in the military actions is on the Russian side. Russia does not want a ceasefire because it has not achieved its goals", the guest of the program "Why, Mr. Minister" also pointed out.
"After Vladimir Putin failed to destroy Ukraine, now he wants to preserve the occupied Ukrainian territories. This is a violation of international law," Zapryanov added.
"It would be a miracle if a truce is reached for a period of 30 days," the minister commented on the scheduled talks between Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul tomorrow.
There are political forces and politicians in Bulgaria who do not want to see the strategic partnership with the US in force, Zapryanov added, quoted by news.bg.
Our F-16 will remain the most modern in the EU for a certain period, in his words. There is no direct tension with the president, Zapryanov pointed out. We must let the military do their job, he stressed. Since the adoption of the F-16, we have created an international scandal. The F-16 can now fly, it became clear from my comment. It is completely operational. This is a Bulgarian combat aircraft, said Minister Zapryanov. Five pilots have been trained to fly the F-16.
A total of 32 pilots need to be trained. The second F-16 is already ready. It will also be in Bulgaria very soon. The MiG-29 aircraft will not be withdrawn before 2028, he added.
After the salary increase in the army, there are those who want to start military service.
Zapryanov is in favor of a mobilization reserve. An analysis is being made on how to resume mobilization training, it became clear from his comment.
The youngest reservists are 38-39 years old.