The US State Department said it had notified Congress that it had approved the sale to Bulgaria of 183 Stryker armored vehicles, more than half of them armored personnel carriers.
The ministry added in a statement that this deal “will improve Bulgaria’s capabilities to quickly deploy its infantry and enhance its capabilities to send forces.”
According to the statement, “Bulgaria will use its increased capabilities to strengthen its internal defense and deter regional threats.”
This deal comes a month after Bulgaria, which has a large stock of Soviet weapons, agreed to send about 100 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine.
An unexpected move
It was the first step of its kind for Bulgaria, a country in the Balkans that had until now been reluctant to help Kiev directly due to the strong historical ties between Sofia and Moscow.
The United States has greatly increased its military aid to Ukraine since Russia began its invasion of its neighbor early last year, and has also increased its arms sales to NATO member states.
On August 21, Washington agreed to conclude a huge military deal with Warsaw worth 12 billion dollars, according to which the Polish army will get about 100 Apache attack helicopters.
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