• Home
• News
• Current events

[Link]

In Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Prime Minister of Portugal Luís Montenegro, who paid his first official visit to Ukraine since taking office.

[Link]

"We are deeply grateful to Portugal and to your entire society for your unwavering support for Ukraine. While geographically distant, we are part of one Europe - a continent where the fate of the whole depends on each nation. I want to thank Portugal for choosing specifically a democratic and strong Europe - a Europe that must remain free from the nonsense of any dictators," the President said.

The President emphasized that Ukraine is interested in Portugal's involvement in Ukraine's recovery, as Russian strikes continue, and all the support we receive from our partners is crucial for us. According to the President, due to Russian attacks on port infrastructure, logistics, and the energy sector, the Odesa region is currently facing a tough situation.

"Russia is again trying to restrict Ukraine's access to the sea and block our coastal regions. We will resist this, and we will be grateful to all partners for their support and for assistance in this as well - for Ukraine's port infrastructure, our logistics, our energy sector, and our coastal cities," the Head of State noted.

[Link]

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Luís Montenegro signed a Joint Statement on the establishment of a partnership for the production of maritime unmanned systems between Ukraine and Portugal.

"This is one of the most promising areas of our defense efforts at present. It is important to deliver results. And across all parts of our Europe, there must be sufficient strength to counter any threats, and modern drones are a real tool of defense," the President stressed.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefed Luís Montenegro on the situation at the front and in diplomacy. The leaders discussed diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving peace, the work of the Coalition of the Willing, and contacts with partners.

[Link]

The Prime Minister assured that Portugal will continue to support Ukraine and seeks to expand cooperation.

"We want to strengthen assistance and also do everything possible on Portugal's part to help Ukraine join the European Union. We have good economic relations between Portugal and Ukraine, and this cooperation, I believe, has significant potential," Luís Montenegro emphasized.

The leaders also discussed expanding the PURL initiative, which enables Ukraine to purchase U.S. weapons, as well as the development of the SAFE defense instrument.