Bulgaria Greenlights Initial Funds for Stryker Armored Vehicles Amid Presidential Veto Rejection

The Bulgarian government swiftly approved an emergency allocation of $263.3 million towards the first installment for acquiring Stryker armored vehicles, set to be paid by December 15th.

As stated by the Ministry of Defense, this agreement aims to swiftly address a critical capability gap in the Ground Forces of the Bulgarian Army. The deal encompasses the procurement of 198 combat and support vehicles, with 183 from the Stryker family, totaling an estimated $1.376 billion.

In tandem, the parliamentary defense committee rejected President Rumen Radev's veto concerning the provision of 100 aging armored vehicles to Ukraine. Debates highlighted that these machines are 43 years old and are beyond repair within Bulgaria's capabilities.