Bulgaria's parliament approved sending military aid to Ukraine, after a previous decision to refrain from directly supplying arms to the latter following the Russian military operation.
Bulgaria is a member of NATO and the European Union (EU), but still has close historical, cultural, and economic ties with Russia.A total of 175 lawmakers voted, on Thursday, in favor of the decision to ship over military aid, while 49 were against and one abstained.
Meanwhile, the pro-Russian ultra-nationalist Vazrazhdane party and the Socialists opposed the decision.
Vazrazhdane protested outside parliament, warning that sending Ukraine military aid would strip Bulgaria of its defense capacities.
Socialist lawmaker Kristian Vigenin described the decision as "hasty and ill-prepared, (taken) without the necessary analysis of the risks to our country."
Follow the latest news on Google News
