Sofia, June 13 (BTA/GNA) – Approached by reporters in Parliament’s lobby about the USAF aircraft deployed at Sofia International Airport, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said here on Friday: “We gave the US side enough time to be able to plan its steps and seek a new location.”
In his words, such aircraft should be stationed at military airfields rather than at civil airports. “Wherever in Europe, where such warplanes are based in support of the military operations in Iran, they are located at military airfields and not at civil airports.
Referring to the time limit that Bulgaria has set to the US, Radev specified that the USAF aircraft can remain at Sofia Airport until the end of June, according to Bulgaria’s reply to a US note.
Asked about an option of transferring the aircraft to the Bezmer Air Base (near Yambol, Southeastern Bulgaria), Radev said: “We offer this option and we do encourage the US side to consider it.” The PM added that another relocation option is the Graf Ignatievo Air Base (near Plovdiv, South Central Bulgaria).
In response to a US Embassy request, the Andrey Gurov caretaker cabinet permitted the deployment of up to 15 aircraft at the Vasil Levski Sofia Airport from February 17 to May 31, 2026, as well as for assistance in ensuring access for military personnel to the airport runway. The reasons given were related to the implementation of NATO enhanced vigilance activities.
That permission was extended until June 30 by the incumbent Government, after Prime Minister Radev said on May 20 that in a telephone call with US President Donald Trump he had raised the issue of waiving US visas for Bulgaria in the context of the continued stationing of the US tanker aircraft at Sofia Airport.
On June 10, Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said that initially there were 15 USAF aircraft at Sofia Airport, and the number subsequently dropped to 14.
GNA/BTA