Bulgaria’s parliament approves military aid for Ukraine

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — A majority of Bulgaria’s lawmakers have approved sending the country’s first military aid to Ukraine. On Thursday, the National Assembly voted 175-49 with one abstention in favor of a proposal submitted by four pro-European Union parties. The government has now one month to decide what kind of weapons Bulgaria can provide without affecting its own defense capabilities. Bulgaria previously agreed to repair Ukrainian military equipment at its factories but refused to send weapons directly due to opposition from President Rumen Radev and the country’s Moscow-friendly political parties. Along with Hungary, Bulgaria was the only EU member country that had declined to give Ukraine weapons as it fights Russia’s invasion and war.