Story perspectives

Bulgaria Extends US Aircraft Deployment Amid Visa Dispute

5/30/2026

Summary

Bulgaria Extends

Bulgaria extended the deployment of up to 15 U.S. aircraft at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport until June 30, 2026.
The Council of Ministers authorized the non-military deployment of up to 15 aircraft and up to 500 support personnel under Decision No. 205 (March 4, 2026).
Prime Minister Rumen Radev told U.S. President Donald Trump in May that Bulgaria wants its visa system suspended, linking the extension to a visa dispute.

Summary

Radev Dual Role

President Rumen Radev, whose Progressive Bulgaria party won a landslide on April 19, became the first to serve as both president and prime minister.
Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said the U.S. aircraft are for support only, not kinetic action against Iran.
The deployment, approved by the previous government in February, shows continuity across administrations.
The U.S. fleet includes Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft.

Summary

Bulgaria Pledges

Bulgaria pledged to raise its defence budget to 5 percent of GDP after reaching the 2 percent threshold.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev conveyed the pledge to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a meeting in Brussels.
Rutte said increasing defence spending and production will be a top priority at the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8, 2026.
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly demanded that Bulgaria meet the 5 percent defence-spending target.

Summary

Bulgaria Ends Tankers

Bulgaria will end authorization for U.S. KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling planes at Sofia Airport on 30 June 2026 after a one-month extension.
Six tankers have been at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport since mid-February, staying through mid-May.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said he has not yet received a response from President Donald Trump on the visa issue, while Bulgaria, lacking U.S. visa-free entry, faced an Iranian protest in April over the U.S. tankers.

History

Historical Context

In March 1999 NATO launched Operation Allied Force, bombing Yugoslavia in a 78-day air campaign that flew 26,095 sorties. The operation created a NATO air-logistics foothold in the Balkans, a pattern that reappears today as expanded U.S. C-130, C-17 and KC-135 missions at Sofia Airport, tying the 1999 Kosovo intervention to current diplomatic tensions.

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Bulgaria Extends

Bulgaria extended the deployment of up to 15 U.S. aircraft at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport until June 30, 2026.
The Council of Ministers authorized the non-military deployment of up to 15 aircraft and up to 500 support personnel under Decision No. 205 (March 4, 2026).
Prime Minister Rumen Radev told U.S. President Donald Trump in May that Bulgaria wants its visa system suspended, linking the extension to a visa dispute.

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