Ministry of Defence: We have not held any talks on provision of Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine

In response to media reports that Bulgaria has offered to donate its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence on April 10 released a statement that said:

The Ministry of Defence has not held talks on free-of-charge provision of Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. Such a decision would lead to a deficit of capabilities, which is contrary to the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Law on Defence and Armed Forces.

Pursuant to a decision by the National Assembly from the end of 2022, the Ministry of Defence has consistently held talks on the possibility of implementing the so-called "triangular deals", to replace some of the available armaments with compatible ones from allied countries, without allowing loss of capabilities."

Earlier in the day, CNN cited secret documents leaked days ago on social networks, according to which Bulgaria had expressed readiness to donate its MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine. The US assessed this as a "challenge" because it would leave Bulgaria without fighter jets to defend its airspace.