Bulgaria will be the country in Eastern Europe with the most modern combat aircraft for some time. There is no way that the first fighter jet will immediately enter combat duty. But if the team is ready, it does not prevent it from performing at least certain duties this year.
This was said by former Defense Minister Todor Tagarev to NOVA NEWS.
Regarding the incidents in Bulgarian aviation and the investigations conducted, he said that it is impossible for a pilot to die and such expensive equipment to turn out to be innocent.
Tagarev pointed out that the planned defense budget for 2024 was 2.05 of GDP. “But in an interview with the Minister of Defense, it became clear that we have not spent this budget and Bulgaria will be among the EU countries that have not achieved the 2% target”, he emphasized.
According to him, in the current situation, 2% is no longer enough, especially if Russia manages to achieve its goals in Ukraine. He added that “there are predictions shared by senior military and politicians that we have 3 to 5 years to prepare for a new war”.
The former Minister of Defense said that the fighting in Ukraine in the next three to six months will continue as before. “Both Russia and Ukraine are talking about peace. Vladimir Putin has been talking for a long time, but for purely propaganda purposes.
For several months, Volodymyr Zelensky has been giving signals that Ukraine is willing to talk and seek a peaceful solution. But there are two main problems. "There are no indications that Putin will give up on achieving his ultimate goals in Ukraine, namely capitulation," commented Tagarev.