Bulgaria’s premier says country must upgrade its armed forces

ATHENS

Bulgaria’s prime minister said Tuesday that the country must upgade its armed forces, local media reported.

“This means additional weaponry, including 16 F-16 Block 70 aircraft, two multi-purpose ships, and providing armored vehicles for the infantry to cover the entire spectrum -- air, sea and land,” Nikolay Denkov told reporters in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, where he was attending the NATO summit, according to Bulgaria’s state-run BTA news agency.

Such a move would also include upgrading the multinational battle group in the country to brigade level, which requires the addition of more troops, he added.

Denkov said the risk of Russia’s war against Ukraine spreading to NATO member states is now extremely low.

He maintained, however, that the situation is more serious in the Western Balkans, where there is a strong Russian influence.