Bulgaria reaffirmed its commitment to the collective defense of the Alliance's Eastern Flank and achieved a key economic success on the eve of the official meetings of the NATO Summit in the Turkish capital Ankara. The Bulgarian state delegation, led by Prime Minister Rumen Radev, arrived to participate in the two-day forum of leaders from the 32 member states. Together with him in Ankara are Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov and Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov.
The main focus of the forum, held under unprecedented security measures, is defense spending, the industrial revolution in the Pact and strengthening support for Ukraine. Even before the start of the official sessions, however, Bulgarian participation was marked by a key breakthrough in the energy sector after a strategic bilateral meeting.
The freezing of the contract with “Botaş“: The big breakthrough on the sidelines
The day before the official start of the summit, Prime Minister Rumen Radev held key talks with the host of the event – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the “Bestepe“ presidential complex. The main result of the visit was the official agreement to freeze the controversial contract between the Turkish state company “Botaş“ and the Bulgarian “Bulgargaz“ for a period of 15 months.
“This is an extremely important step for the protection of the Bulgarian national interest and for the stabilization of the energy sector in our country. Over the next 15 months, our country will not pay the millions for capacity that weighed on our budget, but will only pay for the actual amounts of gas that have passed through and been used. We are starting immediate work on revising and renegotiating the parameters in accordance with current market conditions“, commented sources from the Bulgarian delegation after the meeting in Ankara.
The agreement reached with Turkey relieves serious financial pressure from the Bulgarian state and completely changes the economic context of Bulgaria's participation in the forum.
The pressure for defense: Towards 4% and 5% of GDP
The Bulgarian delegation enters the plenary sessions at a time of increased pressure from US President Donald Trump, who arrived in Ankara with sharp criticism of the European allies regarding the sharing of the financial burden in the Alliance. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had already announced on the eve of the summit that the majority of member states had successfully reached spending of 4% of their gross domestic product (GDP).
A new ambitious target has been set on the negotiating table in Ankara – taking sovereign commitments to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. Bulgaria, which already meets the current criteria of the Pact, will have to balance the new requirements with its national budget against the backdrop of the ongoing debates in our country on Budget 2026.
On the sidelines of the forum, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov and Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov are participating in meetings within the framework of the Defense Industry Forum.
The Bulgarian position firmly supports the so-called „transatlantic defense industrial revolution“, aimed at drastically increasing ammunition production and joint public procurement.
Black Sea and support for Ukraine
Another main pillar of Sofia's positions is security in the Black Sea region. Bulgaria insists on continuing the increased presence on NATO's Eastern Flank and for better coordination of Air Policing and maritime patrol missions in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also arrived in Ankara, seeking urgent coordination on air defense (ADF) systems. In the final declaration, the allies are expected to pledge a total package of 70 billion euros for military equipment and training for Ukraine in 2026, with funding coming through bilateral treaties and EU mechanisms, without direct financial participation from the United States.
Official talks and bilateral meetings of the Bulgarian delegation continue throughout the day on July 8, with Prime Minister Rumen Radev expected to give a special press conference for the Bulgarian media in the late hours with details of the final declaration of the summit.