Minister admits Portugal will consider “possible participation” in increasing Ukraine’s air defences
Portugal’s minister of foreign affairs has assured that the government is “working on several fronts” to reinforce its support for Ukraine, speaking of a “reinforced commitment”, but with no new European announcements in the face of insistent Ukrainian requests for air defence.
“The Portuguese State continues to work to make even more military material available to help Ukraine. We’re working on several fronts on this issue and we’re making available some capacity that exists in private companies in Portugal to, for example, in terms of drones, manufacture components, which could help a lot in this matter,” said Paulo Rangel in Luxembourg on Monday.
“The most urgent need is the supply of weapons and basically air and anti-aircraft capability. We know that there’s a German initiative, there’s a Czech initiative, there’s a set of instruments […] and I would say that there’s a reinforced commitment, but I wouldn’t say that there’s any special news,” said the head of Portuguese diplomacy, speaking to the Portuguese press on his debut at the EU ministers’ meetings.
According to Rangel, “a great effort has already been made by the Portuguese State”, namely because “even before the end of the previous government’s mandate and in consultation with the opposition parties”, the country had put forward €100 million for the Czech initiative to buy ammunition for Kiev.
“And we are […] making progress on the bilateral agreement of mutual guarantees and mutual commitments with Ukraine, for example, the direct negotiation between the Portuguese State and Ukraine,” he pointed out, hoping that an instrument of bilateral and military cooperation would be finalised by July.
Asked about possible participation in the German initiative to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences against Russia, Paulo Rangel said: “We will consider it.”
The EU’s ministers of foreign affairs and defence on Monday discussed recent requests by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for allies to step up the deployment of anti-aircraft systems to protect the country from Russian attacks.
At the start of the meeting, Ukrainian ministers of foreign affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, and defence minister, Rustem Umerov, took part via videoconference.
According to Paulo Rangel, this intervention was “very much centred on the urgency of having anti-aircraft capability“.
“And so there has to be an extra effort by the countries of the European Union to supply these devices and then also everything that is ammunition and all other types of military material,” he said, also noting the EU’s intention to go ahead with a 14th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Kiev has asked the allies, namely the EU, for support similar to that given to Israel – particularly after the United States, in coordination with various other countries repelled the recent Iranian attack involving hundreds of drones and missiles.
Monday’s meeting in Luxembourg took place at the height of the debate on strengthening support for Ukraine, and in the context that the US appears finally ready to free up a €60 billion lump sum for the war torn country to increase military capabilities.
At the meeting, the leaders also discussed the Czech initiative to mobilise funds for the purchase of artillery ammunition for Ukraine outside the EU, while, according to the latest figures, 200,000 rounds have already been purchased and negotiations are underway for the purchase of a further 300,000 rounds, with a delivery deadline of the beginning of June.
Source material: LUSA
