Bulgaria will ask parliament to approve deploying up to eight U.S. aerial refuelling aircraft at Bezmer Air Base to support American operations in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced the request on July 20, saying the tankers would be stationed at the base 260 kilometres southeast of Sofia. By demanding a formal parliamentary vote, Radev casts strict constitutional compliance against the previous administration, which placed U.S. aircraft at a civilian airport near Sofia without legislative approval. The planes left the airport in June after the deployment prompted controversy.
The request sharpens a contradiction in Bulgarian policy. In June, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said Sofia would stop providing weapons to Ukraine and urged talks between Kyiv and Moscow. The decision reversed the military-support policy pursued in 2024 and 2025, despite a 10-year Bulgarian-Ukrainian security agreement signed only in March.
The pattern reads as a hedge. By offering Bezmer as a node for U.S. power projection against Iran, Sofia strengthens operational ties with Washington while stepping back from military support for Ukraine. Tanker aircraft conduct no strikes, but extend the range and endurance of fighters and bombers.
The deployment comes as U.S. and Iranian strikes intensify following the collapse of an interim ceasefire. The United States is also reinforcing its aerial-refuelling presence in Israel as it adjusts its regional force posture.
The parliament will decide the request in the coming days.
