site.btaBulgarian Leaders Pledge 5% Defence Spending and New Strategy in Talks with NATO Military Chief Dragone

Bulgaria will draft a new National Defence Plan after the NATO Summit in The Hague, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov told visiting Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone in Sofia on Wednesday. The blueprint will reflect the Alliance’s latest decision for member states to channel 5% of GDP into defence, with 3.5% for the armed forces and 1.5% for defence-related investments.

“In the context of lasting instability caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Bulgaria continues to support the strengthening of NATO's deterrence and defence capabilities, especially on the Alliance’s Eastern Flank and in the Black Sea region,” Zhelyazkov said, adding that Sofia remains committed to supporting Kyiv “for as long as necessary”.

Zhelyazkov listed Bulgaria’s current contributions, including the Italy-led Multinational Battlegroup, the Special Operations Regional Component Command with Romania, and the Mine Countermeasures Black Sea project, as examples of the country’s role in Allied security. He also pressed for a tougher NATO-wide response to Russian disinformation campaigns that, he warned, aim to erode public trust in collective defence.

President Rumen Radev hosted Dragone at the Presidency later on Wednesday, arguing that higher budgets alone will not deliver the capabilities the Alliance needs unless citizens understand why re-armament matters.

“The main challenge facing the Armed Forces is how to most effectively transform political will and allocated resources into adequate defence capabilities,” Radev said. He urged NATO to integrate national defence industries from the earliest design stages to prevent a widening gap between producing and non-producing members, and drew attention to Bulgaria’s own manufacturing strengths in ammunition, small arms, drones and counter-drone systems. Radev also called for common Alliance standards for recruiting and training personnel to tackle the staffing shortages that plague many European forces.

Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov closed the day’s talks by briefing Dragone on Bulgaria’s modernization agenda and its intention to meet the 5% spending target by 2035. Zapryanov said those funds would upgrade both the military and national infrastructure, and confirmed that Sofia is working to elevate the Italy-led Multinational Battlegroup, stationed at Novo Selo, to brigade level. Bulgaria, he added, is developing a multinational divisional headquarters at Kabile to command Allied forces on its territory, further cementing the country’s role on NATO’s Eastern Flank.