Denys Shmyhal discusses security cooperation with Portuguese Defence Minister

The Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, met in Kyiv with the Minister of National Defence of Portugal, Nuno Melo.

The meeting took place as part of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s discussions with the delegation led by the Prime Minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro, during which a statement was signed on a partnership for the production of maritime drones.

Denys Shmyhal thanked the Portuguese delegation for visiting the Ukrainian capital at this important time. He expressed gratitude to Portugal for the assistance announced at the UDCG meeting and for its readiness to contribute EUR 50 million to the PURL mechanism.

In addition, he highlighted the importance of Portugal’s decision to allocate EUR 25 million annually for five years under the SAFE initiative to purchase Ukrainian defence products.

“We discussed the continuation of cooperation, particularly in the defence industry, prospects for mutually beneficial projects, and the long-term development of our capabilities. We also focused separately on Ukraine’s critical defence needs to protect people and critical infrastructure. I am grateful to Portugal for its support,” concluded Denys Shmyhal.