The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, agreed this Saturday, December 20th, to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, when the war between this country and Russia ends. Montenegro is in Kiev, on an official visit.
At a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, Luís Montenegro revealed that Portuguese troops will participate “in peace missions” and “in deterrence and security missions”.
“Our participation does not involve any type of earthly commitment”stated the prime minister.
“Nothing will prevent the Portuguese military from doing in Ukraine what they are already doing next door, in Slovakia, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, in many other countries where our national forces deployed within the European Union, within NATO, participate in peacekeeping missions and participate in deterrence and security missions”, he stated at the conference.
The Prime Minister also highlighted that today it is not expected that Portuguese participation will involve any “type of terrestrial commitment”. As he said, “today, this is not foreseen”. What has been agreed is the “participation at sea and air” of Portuguese military forces.
“In the future, everything will be open under our responsibilities”, he also said.
In this which is Luís Montenegro’s first visit to Ukraine, an agreement was also signed between the two countries for the joint production of underwater drones.
The Prime Minister expressed Portugal’s willingness to produce “drones with Ukrainian technology and scientific knowledge”.
Montenegro highlighted that “Portugal and Ukraine have, in terms of unmanned vehicles, knowledge that is currently at the forefront of the world”,