"Upholding international rule of law in Ukraine is ensuring our own security"

Prime Minister claimed that "upholding the preservation of the international rule of law in Ukraine is ensuring our own security in the future" in a statement at the end of a high-level meeting to assist Ukraine, convened by the French President Emmanuel Macron, held in Paris, two days after the second anniversary of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

António Costa said that "we Portuguese have good reason to understand the importance of upholding, even in the hardest circumstances, international rule of law. We all recall that for many years, East Timor was a territory illegally occupied by Indonesia and there were moments where Portugal was on its own on the international scene battling for upholding the right to self-determination of the people of East Timor".

Even "when many believed it was not possible, the truth is that international law prevailed and this is the best demonstration that international law is the major weapon for the small countries and peoples who wish to be free and live in peace", he added. 

The Prime Minister noted that "we must be prepared for the different risks, but with great determination and the awareness that the way in which today we were able to demonstrate the capacity to support the outstanding effort by the Ukrainian people in their defence, in upholding international law, is the best defence we can have for our own future".

António Costa also said that this meeting of 27 Heads of State and Government or their high representatives at a Ministerial level reached a consensus to "boost the assistance, whether financial, or equipment to sustain Ukraine’s war effort".