Shmyhal discusses security cooperation with Portugal's defense minister

Ukraine's Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal discussed the continuation of cooperation in the defense sector and Ukraine's priority needs to protect people and critical infrastructure during a meeting in Kyiv with Portugal's Minister of Defense Nuno Melo.

According to Ukrinform, the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine reported this on its website.

"We discussed the continuation of cooperation, in particular in the defense industry, the prospects for mutually beneficial projects, and the long-term development of our capabilities. We also focused separately on Ukraine's critical defense needs to protect people and critical infrastructure," Shmyhal said.

He thanked Portugal for the assistance announced during the UDCG meeting and for its readiness to contribute EUR 50 million to the PURL mechanism. In addition, he emphasized the importance of Portugal's decision to allocate EUR 25 million annually for five years under the SAFE initiative to purchase Ukrainian defense products.

According to the press service, the ministers' meeting took place as part of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky's meeting with a delegation led by Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, during which a partnership statement was signed.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the day before, Ukraine and Portugal signed a statement in Kyiv establishing a partnership for the production of maritime drones.