Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said on Thursday he hopes to see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “sooner than previously thought in Portugal,” but without opening the game on the timing of the eventual visit.
The president of the republic says the trip to Ukraine “achieved all its intended objectives”. “It was a joint journey of the President of the Republic and the Government. It was a journey that saw the past and the President, but focused on the future”he explained, stressing that the Portuguese delegation wanted to stay in Kiev “to understand the heartbeat of Ukrainians’ lives”.
“During the various meetings we had today with President Zelensky, the Ukrainian Prime Minister and government delegations, we discussed economic cooperation between states and civil society for the future, as well as political, diplomatic and military cooperation, already now. in a climate of hope in the future”he summarized, emphasizing that the “Portuguese position is a position of principle: yes, Ukraine has the right to join the European Union. Both sides are doing preparatory work”.
About the war that is destroying Ukraine, Marcelo says yes “with the feeling that there will be progress in autumn and the transition to winter, but anyone with common sense has no calendars when it comes to wars”.
The head of state emphasizes the surprising “spirit of confidence” of Ukrainians, explaining that he spoke Ukrainian during the Independence Day ceremony. “I didn’t learn to speak Ukrainian, I prepared myself to read in Ukrainian. I tried my hardest to speak in Ukrainian”he stressed, expressing a desire to return to Kiev: “Ukraine is a great country and the Ukrainians are a great people.”
Marcelo also confirmed that his Ukrainian counterpart received the Grand Collar of the Order of Liberty in a non-public ceremony.
Source: DN
