Statement by the President of Ukraine During a Joint Press Conference With the Prime Minister of Portugal

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Dear Luís, esteemed Prime Minister,

Distinguished guests, our teams,

Dear journalists!

Today, we welcome the Prime Minister of Portugal to Ukraine on his first visit to our country as Prime Minister. We are deeply grateful to Portugal and to your entire society for your unwavering support for Ukraine. While geographically distant, we are part of one Europe - a continent where the fate of the whole depends on each nation.

I want to thank Portugal for choosing specifically a democratic and strong Europe - a Europe that must remain free from the nonsense of any dictators. That is the question at hand today: whether Europe can preserve itself and its values.

Putin started this war and is dragging it out not just for our Donbas, but to strip nations of the ability to decide the fate of their own countries. He wants to make all the decisions himself - personally or with friends who are just like him.

Russia's war against Ukraine has always been and continues to be a war about something beyond just the territory of Ukraine alone. And that is why Russia will never be satisfied with any piece of land if someone grants it something. It will not be satisfied with anything. We must defend the fundamental principles of Europe and of normal life for nations - independence, sovereignty, and democracy. And all of this must also be reflected in the agreement on ending the war.

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That is exactly how we are working with our partners - preparing an agreement - carefully working on every point, every step, to achieve not some backroom carve-up of territory and resources, but an agreement on a stable and lasting peace with reliable security guarantees for Ukraine. This is our goal, and I am grateful to everyone who is helping make this goal a reality.

Today, I briefed the Prime Minister on the situation at the front - in our defense and in diplomacy. We discussed the prospects for diplomatic efforts and the possible involvement of European countries. There are effective formats in place, including our Coalition of the Willing, which will participate in guaranteeing security.

Of course, we are also interested in Portugal's involvement in Ukraine's reconstruction. Russian strikes currently continue, and all the support we receive from our partners is crucial for us.

Right now, in particular, the Odesa region is facing a tough situation because of Russian strikes on port infrastructure, logistics, and energy facilities. Russia is again trying to restrict Ukraine's access to the sea and block our coastal regions. We will resist this, and we will be grateful to all partners for their support and for assistance in this as well - for Ukraine's port infrastructure, our logistics, our energy sector, and our coastal cities.

Today, Ukraine and Portugal issued a very important joint statement - we have just signed it - on establishing a partnership for the production of maritime drones, which is one of the most promising areas of our defense efforts at present. It is important to deliver results. And across all parts of our Europe, there must be sufficient strength to counter any threats, and modern drones are a real tool of defense.

I want to thank Portugal for its contribution to the PURL initiative - we discussed this today with Luís - which is vital for us, as it enables us to purchase American weapons that cannot currently be produced in Europe, including Patriot missiles. Portugal also supported the joint European decision on a financial security guarantee for Ukraine for the coming years - EUR 90 billion for 2026-2027, which is very tangible.

We also appreciate that Russian frozen assets remain blocked in Europe and other countries, which is only fair: Russia must pay for its own aggression with its assets, its losses, and its future.

We thank everyone who stands with us, who stands with Ukraine! Thank you, esteemed Prime Minister, for this visit. Thank you, Portugal, for your respect and support for the Ukrainian community - we know how warmly you treat Ukrainians. And I would like to especially recognize your contribution to the restoration of our educational infrastructure - our Ukrainian schools, primarily in Chernihiv and Cherkasy. Thank you again, Luís, for your visit, and thank you to your team.

Glory to Ukraine!