The Defense Minister, Nuno Melo, addressed accusations from the Portuguese Socialist Party’s Secretary-General, José Luís Carneiro, on Thursday, following criticism over statements regarding aerial resources for firefighting. Melo defended his claims, asserting, “The buyer is the one who pays.”
The controversy arose after Melo stated in an RTP interview on Wednesday that “This Government purchased” two Canadair planes, and previously, “Portugal had none until 2024.”
“I was the one who presented to the Council of Ministers the resolution to acquire two Canadair that will arrive in Portugal,” he stated.
On Thursday, José Luís Carneiro argued that “the Defense Minister made unfounded statements” and claimed that “it was precisely the previous [Socialist Party] government that resolved through the Council of Ministers to acquire aerial resources until 2029, including the new ‘Canadair’.”
The Defense Minister took to the social media platform X to emphasize that José Luís Carneiro is “wrong and misleading,” maintaining that “the buyer is the one who pays.”
“José Luís Carneiro says I am not truthful about the two Canadair, claiming they were acquired by the PS government. He is wrong and misleads. The buyer is the one who pays,” Melo began in his post.
“My truth is factual and verifiable: it is in the DR, in RCM 82/2024, approved by the AD government. Opposition should not be fiction,” he added.
In his post, Nuno Melo also shared the Council of Ministers Resolution, which “authorizes the reprogramming of multiannual commitments related to the Air Force’s acquisition of two DHC-515 heavy bombers, training, infrastructure, and equipment, as part of the state’s self-capacity building program.”
José Luís Carneiro diz que falto à verdade sobre 2 Canadair, que garante foram adquiridos pelo governo PS. Engana-se e engana. Compra quem paga.
A minha verdade é factual e comprova-se: está em DR, na RCM 82/2024, aprovada pelo governo da AD.
Oposição não devia ser ficção. pic.twitter.com/auMx0LpaOT— Nuno Melo (@NunoMeloMDN) August 14, 2025
Speaking to journalists before a meeting with youth in the center of Paredes de Coura, Viana do Castelo district, the PS Secretary-General also remarked that Nuno Melo “was not truthful in saying previous governments prevented the Armed Forces from cooperating” in firefighting. “The previous government allowed, with the new Civil Protection system, the Armed Forces to cooperate in civil functions for oversight, patrol, and preparation of aerial means to operate,” Carneiro said.
“Moreover: the KC 390, which began to be delivered, is expected to have attachable fire-fighting capabilities. The previous government ensured this was included in the contract,” he claimed.
Carneiro clarified that the KC 390 were not purchased by the previous government because “the company and industry that manufactured them stopped doing so, and Europe had to place a joint order to have them manufactured again.”
The Socialist leader also emphasized that “the entire project to adapt the C 130 for firefighting was underway and initiated by PS governments.”
The PS leader stated today that the Defense Minister “made unfounded statements” and “lacked truth” regarding aerial firefighting resources, underscoring that it was the socialists who “guaranteed” the KC 390’s firefighting capability.
