The delegation of the Bulgarian coalition cabinet headed by Prime Minister Kiril Petkov is traveling to Kiev to negotiate possible arms supplies to Ukraine, Bulgarian broadcaster NOVA reported on Wednesday.
According to reports, the delegation included the representatives of three out of four ruling parties, notably, We Continue the Change, There Is Such a People (ITN) and Democratic Bulgaria parties. The leftist Bulgarian Socialist Party that opposes arms deliveries to Ukraine refused to join the visit, saying it has sufficient information about the country.
The visit is aimed at evaluating the needs of the Ukrainian people as well as handing over helmets and body armors promised earlier, according to Petkov. Meanwhile, NOVA said that the ruling coalition is seeking to clarify the partners' positions on whether Sofia should support Kiev with weaponry or not.
In Kiev, Petkov is expected to hold meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, with the delegation also visiting the devastated towns in the Kiev suburbs - Borodyanka, Bucha and Irpen.
Following last week's visit to Sofia by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba who asked Bulgaria for military assistance, Petkov announced on Monday the launching of a public fund-raising campaign for purchasing weapons for Ukraine. This initiative spurred a heated debate in the country, with some senior officials speaking against it.
On Wednesday, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska from the ITN party told NOVA that Sofia was "already too late" to take a clear stance on rendering military support to Ukraine. As for the initiative urging citizens to donate money for purchasing military supplies, the minister called it odd.
Genchovska did not join the visit to Ukraine, saying it was organized belatedly and noting that earlier there had been plenty of chances to demonstrate Bulgaria's solidarity with the Ukrainian people. (ANI/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor