Portugal and Ukraine boost cooperation with agreement on joint production of drones

The Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced that Portugal and Ukraine signed an agreement for the joint production of unmanned underwater vehicles and hosting an economic forum. Luís Montenegro spoke at the joint press conference with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Saturday.

The Prime Minister stressed that "Portugal and Ukraine have knowledge that is cutting edge in the world on unmanned vehicles" and announced the availability to produce in Portugal "drones with Ukrainian technology and scientific know-how" and to take to Ukraine the Portuguese "experience and scientific knowledge".

Portugal and Ukraine are committed to have today’s meeting herald "a turning point" in the two countries’ economic relations and therefore a bilateral economic forum will be held in 2026: "there is vast space to boost relations in the future", the Prime Minister stated.

Stading by Volodymyr Zelensky, Luís Montenegro made a point of thanking the almost 80 thousand Ukrainian citizens who currently reside in Portugal: "They are fully integrated, are in our economic fabric, many of them with a second generation that is also fully integrated, qualified, and are an example of our capacity to host and integrate, as well as an example of the contribution we can receive to strengthen our human resources", he said.

The Prime Minister is on an official trip to the Ukrainian capital with the Minister of National Defence Nuno Melo to express on a political and humane level, Portugal’s solidarity with the Ukrainian people. "It is the expression of continuous support since the first moment of Russia’s unjustified aggression", he claimed.

The trip follows on from the European Council held in Brussels, where the EU leaders approved a 90-billion-euro loan to Ukraine funded through joint debt issued by the EU to financial markets and backed by the Union budget.

Luís Montenegro stressed that Ukraine is going through a particularly trying time and requires financial, political, and humanitarian assistance. He also recalled that Portugal has contributed consistently on a bilateral level and within the European Union in areas such as humanitarian aid, social support, military cooperation, and on a political-diplomatic scale.

The Prime Minister also stressed that in addition to institutional support, this trip intends to bring proximity and affection to a country that "was attacked, is under invasion and living at war", boosting the ties between the Portuguese and Ukrainian people.

In Kiev, in addition to the meeting with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the President is meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Svyrydenko and with the President of Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk. The aim of these meetings is to boost political dialogue and reinforce the cooperation between Portugal and Ukraine in a context of upholding sovereignty, peace, and international law.