Spain Sends Four Eurofighter Jets And 130 Troops To Bulgaria

Spanish military illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Master Sgt. Scott Wagers/USAF)

JAKARTA - Spain will send four fighter jets and 130 troops to Bulgaria this week for air policing duties, amid tensions over Russia's military deployment on the Ukrainian border, Bulgaria's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

The first Spanish Eurofighter fighter jets are expected to land in Bulgaria by the end of the week, for joint airspace protection duties with the Bulgarian Air Force until the end of March, the ministry said.

"The mission implemented measures to ensure the security of NATO member states on the East side," the defense ministry said in a statement.

In addition to Spain, the Netherlands is expected to deploy two F-35 aircraft to Bulgaria in April and May for air policing activities.

Bulgaria, a NATO member since 2004, plans to form a battle group of up to 1,000 troops under Bulgarian command and cooperate closely with NATO, which will also include troops from other allied countries, which could be formed in April or May.

Later, the Bulgarian Government gave Spain the green light to send up to 10 Eurofighter fighters and up to 200 troops to support the Black Sea nation's air policing activities from February to April. The Netherlands is also expected to deploy two F-35 aircraft to Bulgaria in April and May.

Not only that, under an agreement with Bulgaria, the United States can keep up to 2,500 US troops at several joint bases. Currently, there are 200 US troops along with infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, helicopters, and other military equipment for training until the end of June.

To note, Ukraine believes there is still a chance to resolve the impasse through diplomacy but there are already reasons to impose sanctions on Moscow, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Wednesday.