Portugal pledges fresh aid package for Ukraine during Zelenskyy visit

Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskyy arrived in Portugal on Tuesday, where the Portuguese Prime Minister announced a fresh military aid package worth €126 million ($136 million) this year.

The leaders of Ukraine and Portugal also signed a bilateral cooperation agreement that will last at least 10 years, which centers on supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities.

Zelenskyy met with Portugal's newly elected Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and its President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

At a press conference, Montenegro said Portugal was honored to receive the Ukraine leader, and that his diplomacy abroad shows an “iron will… in the face of a merciless aggressor who often does not spare civilians, women or children.”

Acknowledging that Ukraine still has major needs, Montenegro highlighted how Portugal has already delivered more than a thousand tons of military equipment, including Leopard 2 tanks, drones and armored vehicles to be used in the fight against Russia.

He added that Portugal will also continue to help train pilots in the use of F-16 fighter jets and that the Ukranian community is now the second-largest immigrant community in Portugal.

Zelenskyy told the media that Portugal was a “sincere friend and ally” of Ukraine and he thanked the nation for its upcoming presence at the June peace summit in Switzerland.

This week, the Ukraine president has also traveled to Spain and Brussels. Combined, both nations committed to nearly $2 billion in aid to Ukraine.

The Ukraine president was supposed to travel to Spain and Portugal earlier this month but canceled the trips amid Russia's offensive in the Kharkiv region.