In statements after a Goodwill Coalition meeting in Paris, Montenegro excluded the presence of Portuguese troops while there is war, but admitted other forms of contribution such as logistical support, training and air and sea resources.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro reiterated this Tuesday that the participation of Portuguese military personnel in a future peacekeeping force in Ukraine will only be decided later and only if necessary.
Speaking to journalists at the end of a call meeting in Paris, the head of the Government guaranteed that such a decision will be placed “in the internal decision process”.
“I’m not saying that we’re going to get to that point, because it may never be necessary, even in the context of a consolidated peace”, he stressed.
The Prime Minister said that Portugal can contribute to the peacekeeping force in other ways, such as “from a logistical point of view, from a training point of view, from a training point of view, from a command structure point of view, from a participation point of view with an impact on air and sea resources”.
“What I have assumed before all our partners and allies is that Portugal will always live up to its responsibilities”, he emphasized.
Montenegro excluded the presence of Portuguese troops on Ukrainian territory while there is warbut admitted, “in the future”, the participation of the Portuguese Armed Forces in a “multinational team that could be allocated to a peacekeeping mission”.
The prime minister said that this scenario only arises after a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
“If that is the case, we will raise this issue in the internal decision-making process because Portugal has been, on all occasions, a supportive partner with its participation in peacekeeping forces, as is already the case today, on the eastern flank, with participation in Slovakia and Romania”, he recalled.
More than 27 heads of State and Government met
Co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merzthis Tuesday’s summit, at the Élysée Palace, was attended by representatives of the Coalition’s members, including 27 heads of State and Government, following the videoconference held on December 11th.
Luís Montenegro considered that “the balance is very positive” taking into account the participation, for the first time, of the United States, in a delegation led by the US President’s special envoy for Ukraine, Steve Witkoff, as well as Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The so-called Coalition of Good Will, also known as the Coalition of the Willing or the Willing, was created in Paris last spring by France and the United Kingdom to help Ukraine, bringing together 35 countries, including most European states, Canada, Australia, Japan and Türkiye.
Among the participants at the summit was also the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, and the presidents of the European Council, António Costa, and the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
Marco Rubio canceled trip
Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled his trip to the French capital due to the US operation in Venezuela.
O The meeting was also overshadowed by Trump’s ambitions to annex Greenlandautonomous territory that is part of the kingdom of Denmark.
Portugal and other allied countries today defended the sovereignty of the island, which depends on Denmark, in a joint statement in which they stated that the security of the Arctic is “a priority” for Europe.
The meeting’s agenda included discussing ways to monitor a possible ceasefire in Ukraine; support for the Ukrainian armed forces; the mobilization of a multinational force by land, sea and air; commitments in the event of new aggression by Russia; and long-term defense cooperation with Ukraine, said Élysée.
The summit was preceded by a meeting, also in Paris, between the Chiefs of Staff of France, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and the United States to discuss and try to implement security guarantees in Ukraine.
