Ukraine and Portugal sign security agreement
29 May, 2024 President of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Portugal. May 2024. Portugal.
Photo credits: Office of the President of Ukraine The President of Ukraine signs a bilateral agreement on security cooperation with the Prime Minister of Portugal. Prime Minister of Portugal Luis Montenegro announced this at a joint press conference.
Zelensky and the Portuguese Prime Minister signed the 10-year Ukraine-Portugal agreement at the latter's official residence in Lisbon. The document states that Portugal reaffirms its support for Ukraine's reforms for its accession to the European Union and NATO. In particular, the strengthening of economic and trade relations, "leading to the gradual rapprochement of Ukraine with the internal market of the European Union".
President of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Portugal. May 2024, Portugal. Photo credits: Office of the President of Ukraine
"Ukraine's future lies in NATO.
Ukraine has made significant progress on the path of reform and will join NATO in the future when the Allies agree, and the conditions are met," the document says. Portugal also reaffirmed that it will continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine to enable it to exercise its legitimate right to self-defense and to protect and restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Luis Montenegro announced at a press conference that Portugal has already provided Ukraine with 1,000 tons of military aid since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Also, in 2024, it will provide weapons worth EUR126 million.
A Portuguese soldier against the background of the plane of the President of Ukraine. May 2024, Portugal. Photo credits: Office of the President of Ukraine
Portugal became the twelfth country with which Ukraine signed a security cooperation agreement designed to provide long-term support.
On Monday, Zelensky arrived in Spain, where he signed a bilateral security agreement with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
On Tuesday, he arrived in Belgium, where he also signed a security cooperation agreement.
As previously reported, Belgium and Ukraine concluded an agreement prohibiting the use of Belgian military assistance outside Ukrainian territory.