Portugal to provide €126 million in military aid to Ukraine
Portugal will provide Ukraine with €126 million in military aid this year following the signing of a cooperation and security agreement on Tuesday.
The 10-year bilateral agreement was signed at the official residence of prime minister Luís Montenegro in Lisbon by the PM and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
It is also emphasised that “Portugal will contribute additional military support to Ukraine, including that to be agreed within the framework of the European Union and NATO,” says the agreement.
“Since 2022, Portugal has comprehensively supported Ukraine, bilaterally and through the European Union and NATO, through the supply of lethal and non-lethal military equipment, including Leopard 2A6 combat cars, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, M113 armoured personnel carriers, M577 armoured rescue and medical evacuation vehicles, and other military equipment,” the document says. “Portugal is also part of the F-16 Coalition, the International Maritime Capabilities Coalition, and the large-calibre ammunition joint procurement programmes led by the Czech Republic and the European Defence Agency.”
Portugal and Ukraine, “along with other partners,” vow to work together “to ensure that Ukraine’s security and defence forces are capable of restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders since 1991, as well as to contribute to their modernisation in order to increase their capacity to respond to any possible armed aggression and their interoperability with NATO forces,” it adds.
In the preamble to the bilateral agreement, the two countries “strongly condemn the Russian Federation’s illegal, unprovoked, unjustified and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a threat to international peace and security and a flagrant violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and the Paris Charter.
“Portugal unwaveringly supports the freedom, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognised borders of 1991, including the territorial sea, and recognises Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter,” the text stresses.
In terms of forms of cooperation, the agreement provides for “structural support for defence sector reform, including support for defence governance and policies to support the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence; training of Ukrainian security and defence forces, both nationally and within the European framework, including training of trainers programmes; and support to address hybrid threats, including cyber-defence and resilience initiatives.”
Portugal is also to provide “assistance to the Ukrainian medical support system, for the treatment and rehabilitation of defence force personnel; support for the development of Ukraine’s security and defence forces, including by improving interoperability with NATO standards; and military equipment, including through industrial cooperation, arms, equipment and defence goods in the land, air, sea, cyber and space domains, prioritising Ukraine’s main capability needs.”
Under this commitment, “Portugal will continue to provide military support to Ukraine on a bilateral basis and through multilateral instruments, including through NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine (CAP), the European Union’s Ukraine Assistance Fund (UAF) in the framework of the European Peace Facility (EPF) and other capability coalitions.
“Portugal, together with its international partners, will continue to actively participate and engage in international formats, such as the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG), to closely coordinate international military support to Ukraine,” it adds.
Zelenskyy praises Portugal’s support
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in Lisbon on Tuesday, thanked Portugal for its support for his country in the wake of Russia’s invasion and highlighted the 10-year duration of an agreement signed between the two countries as making it a “strategic partnership”.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting with his host, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, Zelensky expressed his gratitude for the Portuguese people’s support for Ukrainians and their families, saying that it will never be forgotten and will form “a strong basis for the future relationship” between the two countries.