Portugal will contribute with 8 to 10 million euros to strengthen Ukraine’s defence

Portugal’s contribution to the European package for military assistance to the Ukrainian armed forces will be "between 8 and 10 million euros", but an exact figure will only be given in a few weeks’ time, said the Portuguese Minister of Defence João Gomes Cravinho during a statement to Lusa press agency after the informal video conference of European Union defence ministers.

The European Union Foreign Affairs Ministers approved a military assistance package of 500 million euros (450 million in weaponry and 50 million in equipment) to support Ukraine.

In addition to the support under the European Peace Facility, Portugal will also send military equipment to Ukraine, upon request by the country’s authorities. 

This material will be "of lethal and non-lethal nature, protective, yet also combat material like grenades, G3 rifles, ammunitions" and "other type of material that is important for the armed forces, such as communication gear and night vision goggles", he said.

João Gomes Cravinho said that in this meeting there was "great convergence", as well as "a general acknowledgement that this convergence is fundamental as an ace" in the European Union’s position. He also highlighted the consensus that the European Defence paper called the Strategic Compass, which "will be approved in March" should have "the necessary amendments to reflect the new geopolitical reality". 

The Minister said that the EU-NATO dialogue "has been very intense" and that both organizations "have a fundamental and complementary role in responding to Russia. None of them could on their own reflect the impact and the weight of the European and western response, without having each other: EU with the force of the sanctions and NATO with the military guarantees it offers", he noted.

Regarding the Portuguese infantry company to be deployed to Romania to strengthen NATO’s presence in the Eastern countries following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Gomes Cravinho said that "several soldiers are travelling to Romania today to work with the Romanian military authorities to prepare their arrival on the other side".

"The necessary work on our side here in Portugal to prepare the deployment" of this 174-staff force "is underway, a phase "that is to last a few weeks", he added.