KYIV: Ukraine on Monday signed a 10-year defense agreement with Bulgaria, a major arms manufacturer, covering production of drones and other weapons, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced.
The Ukrainian leader said he was "very pleased" with the deal, signed during a visit to Kyiv by Bulgaria's interim Prime Minister, Andrey Gyurov.
The agreement covers "joint production, on the territory of our countries, of various types of weapons, including drones," Zelensky said at a press conference.
The length of the accord should make it possible to "systematize" security cooperation, Zelensky said, in particular keeping up with the rapid pace of technological change in the drones, a key weapon in Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion.
Bulgaria, now a member of NATO and the EU, was part of the communist bloc during the Cold War, and for decades produced ammunition and weapons to Soviet standards, which are also used by the Ukrainian army.
According to government data, nearly four percent of the Bulgaria's GDP comes from the defense industry, which has thrived since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in 2022.
Sofia has sent large quantities of weapons to Kyiv. Gyurov hailed the new accord as the "result of long preparation."
"This is not a mere formality, but a joint commitment to our Euro-Atlantic security," he said in English at the press conference Zelensky.
The two leaders also said they are working together on the creation of a gas corridor, called the Vertical Gas Corridor, to link Greece with several countries in southeastern Europe.
