Kiev met “hurricane” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa this Wednesday. The president dispensing affection, as evidenced by the animated conversation with an elderly woman next to a destroyed building, who changes protocol, such as when he enters a trench, or when he changes the program previously laid out by security that they don’t leaves elements very satisfied.

The day of the President of the Republic began at 7:30 am in Kiev (minus two in Lisbon) when the train carrying him arrived in the city. From then on, the “speed” of the visit slowed down a bit.

He started with a visit to Bucha. Several mass graves with hundreds of bodies were found there. And even before the end of the morning, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa already had one certainty: “If the sense of Ukrainian national pride was already strong, the invasion has made it much stronger.”

The president of the republic laid a wreath next to a memorial to the victims, built about a month ago on the site where a mass grave – opened at the back of the church of Santo André – containing more than 120 bodies was found. Inside, the entourage, including historian Pacheco Pereira, visited a photo exhibition with various images of the exhumation of these bodies. The brutality of the images left no one indifferent

“We who, through the television or what was written, by the images we had held that first shock, came to the conclusion after all this time that this first shock has not lost its power… He could have lost he considered.

Before leaving Bucha, the President of the Republic also heard a request from the Kiev Prosecutor General. The magistrate wants to submit a case to the International Criminal Court to adjudicate on war crimes committed there. With the Portuguese Foreign Minister at his side, he quickly promised help and took the opportunity to praise the Portuguese Attorney General. “Late justice is not justice,” added Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. Then he left for the second stop of the day: Moshchun.

It was in this village, once Kiev’s first line of defense, that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa became the first foreign head of state to enter a Ukrainian trench. This was the first violation of protocol during the visit of the President of the Republic to Ukraine. “It’s like the First World War,” he declared as he left.

“50 people, they say 50, 60, 70 people, quickly built the trenches. And on the one hand resisted, on the other, fought back, reminding us, reminding me, what it was like to go to war there have been going on for more than 100 years,” explained the Portuguese head of state, assuring that “only the gas masks were missing”.

The laying of wreaths was a regular part of the visits of the President of the Republic. But before Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa left Moshchun, he couldn’t resist a new attraction, very close to the trench. Side by side with João Gomes Cravinho, the two Portuguese officials sat in armchairs of sorts and put on virtual reality goggles to watch the Battle of Kiev being postponed.

But even the heat felt in Kiev could not delay the step of the delegation, or at least of the President of the Republic.

The third stop of the day was right next door: Horenka. It is also home to a famous painting by street artist Banksy. In a building that lost its facade, the British artist drew a man sitting in a bathtub. The building will be rebuilt, but local authorities guarantee that the Banksy painting, now protected by acrylic, will not move. The head of state welcomes the role of art in the lives of those left behind.

“It’s like life has been cut in half. That’s what happened on the night of February 24,” says Marcelo, surrendering to the plasticity of the work. To the surprise of Ukrainian security, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa risks getting in through the door of what’s left of the building, but he quickly leaves. It is then that he encounters a survivor and, with the help of an interpreter, showers affection.

Marcelo asks, “How old are you?” The lady replies that she has 73, to which the President of the Republic immediately replies. “Almost my age. I’m 74,” says the Ukrainian who, in between laughs, says, “It’s okay.” Before parting, Marcelo thanked and wished “long life and in peace”. “Thanks,” the local ends.

Leaving Horenka, the Portuguese caravan encounters another official entourage who shows even more devices. The number of state visits is increasing these days, in the areas closest to Kiev that were affected by the Russian occupation in the first months of the war. A fact that helps explain the shortness of the visits: never more than 30 minutes at any point and just over 10 minutes when traveling or between stops.

At the end of the morning comes the turn of the Irpin bridge. The President of the Republic listens attentively to the explanations given by the resistance leader in this city. The man explains in detail the maneuvers made to defend Irpin and it is on top of the bridge that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is alerted to a call from Irpin to Portugal. A kindergarten financed by the Cascais City Council will open nearby in September.

When it opens, “it will be the best in the region,” the mayor explains, showing photos of the work on a cell phone. The head of state does not hide his enthusiasm about what he sees. “Is it far?” ask. Marcelo smiles when he hears the answer: one kilometer.

“I would really like to go there. Maybe we can go there,” ventures the president of the republic. But this time Marcelo’s intentions collide with the intransigence of security and the entourage takes off at great speed for Kiev shortly afterwards. In Kiev, the president does not speak to journalists for the first time that day. Marcelo pays tribute to the Ukrainian soldiers who died in the war.

The caravan stops for lunch, or almost

The agendas of state figures visiting Kiev are often secret, even to those in the entourages. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa adds other spices to this, such as dynamism and surprise. This Wednesday, those accompanying the president saw their lunch break almost abruptly interrupted. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa decided to add a new item to the agenda: the visit to the Ukraine Crucified exhibition.

It is located in the Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II. The building is right next to the statue of the Motherland, who lost the Soviet shield a few days ago to get the Ukrainian trident. The museum should also change its name and be called the Independence Museum.

Inside, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa listens to explanations about the uniforms, documents, boots and various war trophies seized by Putin’s army. “It is a unique museum,” he exclaims. The visit is short-lived. A new rumor is now circulating in Marcelo’s caravan: the president wants to go to the Kiev market.

The proximity of the Crimean summit’s scheduled start time caused the plan to fall apart, but the ten-hour train journey between the Polish border and Kiev certainly left no trace on Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

Before closing the public agenda for the day. The presidency protocol announces that the ambassador of Portugal Kiev, António Machado, will receive the insignia of Grand Officer of Infante D. Henrique, “a surprise even for the ambassador himself,” explains Marcelo.