On Thursday, the Bulgarian government approved a draft agreement between the Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ukrainian Defence Ministry for the free provision of armoured transport equipment.

The decision of the Bulgarian government authorises the country's Minister of Internal Affairs, Kalin Stoyanov, to negotiate with the Ukrainian side for the conclusion of the agreement, "subject to its subsequent ratification."

Additionally, the agreement will be temporarily applied "from the date of signing until it enters into force." The transfer could start even before the Bulgarian parliament has ratified the agreement.

Additional aid can also be established in a separate intergovernmental agreement between Kyiv and Sofia.

The parliamentary majority in Bulgaria approved additional military assistance to Ukraine in the form of approximately 100 Soviet-made armoured personnel carriers on July 21.

As previously reported, the APCs were in possession of the Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs since the 1980s.

The Bulgarian side directly transfers armoured equipment to Kyiv, without intermediaries for the first time.

In late June, Bulgaria approved a new package of military assistance to Ukraine, without disclosing the details.