Kyiv: Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro on Saturday did not rule out the possibility of his country participating in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine after the conclusion of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“We do not want to be here during a war, but in the Coalition of the Willing, Portugal participates and will participate in peacekeeping operations,” the visiting Prime Minister said during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
He emphasised, however, that no such mission is currently being planned.
Portugal is part of the Coalition of the Willing — a group of about 30 countries supporting Ukraine.
Montenegro added that Portugal is already supporting Ukraine in developing underwater drones.
Zelensky said that Ukraine and Portugal had signed a partnership agreement for the production of underwater drones.
Montenegro arrived in Kyiv earlier on Saturday.
On Friday, the European Council approved a 90-billion-euro (about $105.4 billion) loan package to support Ukraine’s military and economic needs over the next two years.
According to a European Council statement, the loan will be financed through European Union borrowing on the capital markets and backed by the EU budget “headroom,” the unused margin in the budget that can be mobilised as a guarantee to support EU borrowing.
Because EU-level joint borrowing often hinges on unanimity, the statement adds that any EU budget guarantee for the loan “will not have an impact on the financial obligations” of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, an opt-out meant to secure their nod and keep the deal intact.
The statement noted that part of the Ukraine-related text was “firmly supported” by 25 leaders. However, Russia’s TASS news agency reported that Hungary and Slovakia did not sign the joint statement.
Zelensky on Friday welcomed the EU’s decision to provide the loan.
“This is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience,” Zelensky wrote on X, adding that the deal provides Ukraine with a financial security guarantee for the coming years.
(IANS)
