Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced on Thursday a “productive meeting” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, affirming that Portugal will continue to support Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russia, throughout the next year.
“The meeting I just had with President Volodymyr Zelensky was, once again, productive. We had the opportunity to exchange views on Ukraine’s accession process to the European Union,” Montenegro told reporters at the annual summit of the European Political Community in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Prime Minister also discussed “military, logistical, political, and financial support that Portugal has been providing and will continue to offer next year.”
“We are talking about support of at least 220 million euros,” he stated, indicating that this support could be in the form of military equipment purchases or provision of necessary logistical material for maintaining Ukraine’s military forces.
Montenegro noted that Zelensky “thanked” him for urging Chinese President Xi Jinping to support peace in Ukraine due to China’s close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Beijing.
In early September, Montenegro had expressed to Xi Jinping that he relied on China’s close ties with Russia to help “build a fair and lasting peace” in Ukraine.
“I cannot help but convey, on behalf of the Government of Portugal, to the President that we greatly count on your contribution and China’s close relationship with the Russian Federation so that, as soon as possible, we can build a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine,” he stated.
The war in Ukraine, triggered by the Russian invasion in February 2022, has been marked by intense fighting in the eastern and southern regions, frequent bombings of civilian infrastructure, population displacements, and high casualties.
This summer saw multiple diplomatic attempts to establish a ceasefire, including a 30-day hostilities suspension proposal from the United States. Despite these efforts, no significant progress has been achieved.
