Bulgarian Prime Minister
Kiril Petkov said the
United States would send a contingent of troops to the country to strengthen
NATO's eastern flank amid the war in Ukraine.
Petkov made the announcement after holding talks with US Defence Secretary
Lloyd Austin in Sofia on Saturday.
The
US Stryker army contingent is to be part of a
NATO battle group in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said.
Petkov assured that there would be no arms deliveries from
Bulgaria to Ukraine.
"We have not talked in any way about military support for
Ukraine," he said during a press conference.
Prior to
Austin's visit, there was an uproar in Bulgaria over reports in the international media that
Bulgaria might hand over its Soviet-designed S-300 air defence system to Ukraine.
Bulgarian President
Rumen Radev warned against supplying weapons to
Ukraine and thus involving
Bulgaria more directly in the conflict.
Bulgaria will, however, continue to provide humanitarian support to Ukrainians, Petkov said. Austin had earlier praised
Bulgaria's aid to Ukraine and response to refugees fleeing the war.
Austin and Petkov had visited Bulgarian and
US military personnel training at a military compound in eastern
Bulgaria on Friday.
