Bulgaria said it will be hosting up to eight Dutch warplanes and 200 support troops to help with its air policing efforts amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the government announced Friday,
The Black Sea country, which has been a part of NATO since 2004, said that the Netherlands will place two fighter jets on round-the-clock duty for air policing activities in Bulgaria between April 1 and May 31, as part of NATO’s integrated air and anti-missile defense plan.
The Dutch Air Force is expected to include its F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets in the upcoming deployment.
Another NATO member, Spain, has also had four of its fighter jets and 130 service members conduct ongoing joint air policing operations with the Bulgarian Air Force since February.
The Spanish government decided on Friday to extend its mission until April 15, and Bulgaria has agreed to allow up to 10 Spanish Eurofighter Typhoons and 200 servicemen into its territory.
Despite preparations made by Bulgaria and its allies against a potential attack, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that NATO must not allow Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to spill over into an open conflict between the alliance and Moscow.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has strongly criticized NATO’s unwillingness to create a no-fly zone over its airspace, which would require deploying NATO fighter planes and possibly “shooting down Russian planes,” according to Mr. Stoltenberg.
The alliance’s chief remarked earlier this week that a no-fly zone over Ukraine would “most likely lead to a full war between NATO and Russia”, causing “so much more suffering, so much more death and destruction.”
Stoltenberg maintained, however, that NATO member states’ training of tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops in recent years, as well as the supply of military equipment, has proven “extremely important [for Ukrainian forces] in the fight against invading Russian forces.”
“The most important thing is that President Putin should end this senseless war,” insisted Mr. Stoltenberg.
Writer: Ainhoa Petri-Hidalgo
Photo Credits: CDE News
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