Bulgaria: secret ammunition deliveries to Ukraine?
Officially, Bulgaria refused to deliver arms to Ukraine for months. But according to a report in the German daily Die Welt, the country’s former government under Prime Minister Kiril Petkov secretly supplied Ukraine with diesel and ammunition via intermediaries starting last spring. The Bulgarian press is divided over how much praise the country deserves for this.
On the right side of history for a change
Petkov has shown Russia that it can no longer dictate the policies of its former satellite states, writes Webcafé:
“The war in Ukraine is an attempt by Moscow to impose its will by force and make the countries of the former Eastern bloc terrified of an intervention by their former 'masters' in the Kremlin. This attempt is failing because of Ukraine's resilience. If Bulgaria has contributed to this, it should make us happy. As for the article in Die Welt, we should also be happy that for once our country's name is being mentioned in a positive context and that we are on the right side of history for a change.”
Nothing to be proud of
This was not a heroic deed but merely a good deal, comments the Bulgarian service of Deutsche Welle:
“Arms exports are not aid, they're just trade. If you make profit through war, it's immoral to expect moral recognition for it. Bulgaria earned billions from the sale of ammunition, as all arms manufacturers do during a war. The military equipment and humanitarian aid we send is even compensated for with European funds - we've already submitted our application.”