16.07.2025
“Bulgaria will draw up a new National Defense Plan after the NATO Summit in the Hague.” This was announced by Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov at his meeting with Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, who is on an official visit to Bulgaria. The focus of the discussion was the action of the Alliance member states after the NATO Summit in the Hague, including plans to increase defense investment in line with the new commitment to spend 5% of the GDP in a breakdown of 3.5% on defense and 1.5% on defense-related investment.
“Under persistent instability caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Bulgaria continues to support the consolidation of the NATO deterrence and defense capabilities, especially on the Eastern Flank of the Alliance and in the Black Sea region,” Rossen Jeliazkov emphasized. Further, the Prime Minister said that Bulgaria is actively involved in initiatives such as the Multinational Battlegroup with lead country Italy, the Regional Special Operations Component Command Headquarters with Romania and the Naval Mine Countermeasures Task Group in the Black Sea with Romania and Turkey.
Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov declared that Bulgaria would continue to support Ukraine as long as needed and to oppose any attempt at territorial concessions that may give legitimacy to Russia’s aggression.
The discussion touched on the role of joint European defense initiatives, including the opportunities afforded by the recently published White Paper for European Defense – Readiness 2030, and the new European SAFE instrument. The Prime Minister expressed support for enhanced coordination between NATO and the European Union and stressed the importance of industrial cooperation with the USA, the UK, Canada and the partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
In the context of disinformation and hybrid threats, Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov emphasized that Bulgaria is exposed to aggressive propaganda narratives arising from Russia that seek to undermine public trust and allied solidarity. That is why the Prime Minister called for a stronger joint NATO response to distortions in the information environment.
