Bulgaria Boosts Air Defense with Germany's IRIS-T Systems While Supporting Ukraine

Bulgaria continues to support Ukraine in line with the decisions of its National Assembly, according to Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov. He made this statement during a meeting of defense ministers in the Contact Group for defense assistance to Ukraine, led by the US, held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. In this context, bilateral discussions were held between the Bulgarian and Ukrainian delegations, focusing on joint solutions to support Ukraine.

Zapryanov also held a bilateral meeting with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, where they discussed key defense issues and opportunities to expand military cooperation. The two ministers signed an agreement for the joint procurement of IRIS-T SLM air defense systems under the European Sky Shield initiative, aimed at promoting defense cooperation and procuring interoperable weapon systems.