Prime Minister visits Kiev to reaffirm Portugal’s support to Ukraine

The Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro is on official visit to Kiev, stressing the "special meaning" of the Portuguese presence in a country at war and reaffirming Portugal’s strong and continuous support to Ukraine since day one of the Russian aggression.

On arrival at the Ukrainian capital, the Prime Minister, who travelled with the Minister of National Defence Nuno Melo, noted that this visit is not to announce new measures, rather 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.

Luís Montenegro underlined that Ukraine is facing a particularly trying time and requires financial, political, and humanitarian assistance and recalled that Portugal has contributed in a consistent manner, both on a bilateral level as within the European Union; in areas such as humanitarian aid, social support, military cooperation, and on a political-diplomatic scale.

The Prime Minister also noted that in addition to institutional support, this visit intends to bring proximity and affection to a country "that was attacked, is being invaded, and lives at war", strengthening the connection between the Portuguese and Ukrainian people.

During his visit, the Prime Minister meets with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, and the President of Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk. These meetings aim at deepening political dialogue and boosting the cooperation between Portugal and Ukraine in a context of upholding sovereignty, peace, and international law.