Bulgaria joins NATO mission to train Ukrainian military.

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Bulgaria's Cabinet of Ministers authorized the country's military on Aug.

7 to train Ukrainian soldiers within the framework of the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU). NSATU was established during the NATO summit in Washington on July 9-11. The initiative will coordinate the provision of military equipment and training to Ukraine by partners.

NSATU aims to support the transformation of Ukraine's Defense and Security Forces, ensuring further integration with NATO. Sofia said that this decision gives a "clear signal" of its commitment to supporting Ukraine, upholding Euro-Atlantic values, and strengthening allied solidarity in joint efforts to maintain international peace and security. "Taking into account the proximity of the conflict to our border and its importance for security in Europe, the contribution is in line with the efforts of other allies," the statement read.

The number of Bulgarian troops to be involved is not yet known. Earlier, Bulgaria sent 50 troops to the European Union's Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) in support of Ukraine, which also trains Ukrainian forces. Bulgaria has been providing defense assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, but mostly in secret at first due to internal political differences.

The country became more open in its support after now-former Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov took office in June 2023, officially handing over at least two military aid packages. According to Euractiv, Bulgaria was one of Ukraine's largest non-public arms suppliers at the end of 2022. At the beginning of the all-out war, Sofia secretly provided Ukraine with one-third of its ammunition and 40% of its diesel fuel supplies, Die Welt reported in January 2023.

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