Zelensky Visits Bulgaria... Discusses NATO Membership and Weapons Support Plans

Meeting Scheduled with Cabinet Officials and Members of Parliament
Direct Weapon Support to Bulgaria and Ukraine Planned
"Euro-Atlantic Integration Joint Declaration"

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, visited Bulgaria on the 6th (local time). The visit aims to secure international support for NATO membership ahead of the upcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit scheduled for next week.

According to some foreign media, President Zelensky stated on Telegram that he was in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and that he would discuss defense support, Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration, and the NATO summit.

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
[Photo by Yonhap News]

During his one-day visit to Bulgaria, President Zelensky plans to hold talks with Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, as well as meet with cabinet officials and members of parliament, including President Rumen Radev.

The Bulgarian government announced in a statement that "a joint declaration on Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the energy sector will be signed."

Bulgaria, a member of the European Union (EU) and NATO, is a major arms producer in Europe and one of the countries supporting Ukraine. This visit comes as Bulgaria breaks from its previous practice of supporting Ukraine with weapons through third countries and moves toward direct arms support for Ukraine.

On the same day, Bulgarian parliamentarians are expected to adopt a declaration supporting Ukraine and endorsing Ukraine's NATO membership.