“The US cannot provide Bulgaria with F-16s as a replacement platform. They ardently recommend that we continue the exploitation of the MiG-29 jets,” said Minister of Defence in the caretaker cabinet Dimitar Stoyanov during a hearing at the parliamentary defence committee, and went on to quote an official letter from the US Air Force.

He denied the claims that the caretaker government had not done enough to carry out triangular transactions so that Bulgaria can provide Ukraine with weaponry in exchange for Western weapons from the allies. Minister Stoyanov stated he had met with the defence ministers of Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, the US, Sweden and France, and that the moment for such transactions had been missed by the regular cabinet. “If a state budget is not approved the modernization of the Bulgarian army will grind to a halt,” he said.