Bulgaria has officially requested fighter jets and anti-missile systems from NATO

Bulgaria has officially asked NATO for fighter jets and anti-drone systems following the attacks from the Black Sea Several commercial ships were hit in the last week off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria, and both Bucharest and Sofia point to Russia. Sofia officially requested NATO to deploy fighter jets and anti-drone systems to strengthen its defense, following a series of attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania, stated the Minister of Defense, Dimitar Stoianov, on Friday. "We have sent letters and a request to the Secretary General of NATO and the Supreme Commander of the allied forces, urging them to consolidate their capabilities, which also means deploying additional forces on our territory. We await their decision," Stoianov stated, quoted by Reuters. Stoianov said that he intends to meet soon with his Romanian and Turkish counterparts to discuss the coordination of actions and a common approach to the situation in the Black Sea. On Wednesday, Romania proposed the establishment of a joint military command for NATO countries in the Black Sea region, with the aim of combating drones. Bucharest and Sofia agreed to jointly present the NATO leadership initiative. The proposed structure would be led by the participating countries, based on rotation. What NATO said NATO did not immediately respond to a request for comment, writes Reuters. However, on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with the President of Romania Nicușor Dan and the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Rumen Radev for a discussion on this topic. "NATO has strengthened its position along the eastern flank, including by increasing drone combat capabilities. NATO will continue to closely cooperate with our allies in the Black Sea, adapting its deterrence and defense posture according to needs," wrote Rutte. Nicușor Dan also said at the end of the meeting that there is a "need for equipment for a new type of provocation" regarding the incidents in the Black Sea. "It is evident that these are Russia's attempts, not only in Romania but also in Bulgaria, to destabilize societies, to reduce support for Ukraine, and our response is – continue to support Ukraine. That is our response. All the details as the investigations evolve," stated Nicușor Dan. The latest attacks Two ships were hit by drones and caught fire off the Romanian Black Sea coast, in Romanian territorial waters, on Wednesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, a commercial ship sank off the Bulgarian Black Sea coast following a drone attack, which led Sofia to summon the Russian ambassador. The attacks highlighted the growing threat posed by the drone war, related to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, for commercial navigation near NATO's south-eastern flank, leading Bulgaria to insist on strengthening the alliance's defense in the Black Sea. Nicușor Dan: "The drone that came to the water attacks a naval corridor used by Ukrainians to transport goods" Nicușor Dan stated on Friday that he cannot technically say that the drones that hit ships in the Black Sea are Russian, but that the attacks took place in a corridor used by Ukrainians to transport goods. When asked on Friday morning in an interview with Bloomberg whether the drones identified in recent days in the Black Sea are Russian, the head of state replied: "At this moment, we cannot technically say that they are Russian. Because we have had hundreds of aerial drones that have entered the territory of Romania, we can say that a large part of them are Russian. We have pieces of them that contain Russian components. Drones that, during the war, were diverted to the territory of Romania." Nicușor Dan also said that "the drone that came to the water attacks a naval corridor used by Ukrainians to transport goods to the Bosphorus and other parts of the world. It is a corridor used by Ukrainians, and there is no reason for it to be attacked by others."