The interior minister said on Tuesday that the six Kamov helicopters offered by Portugal to Ukraine had been “ready for dispatch for a long time”, but that the death of the previous Ukrainian interior minister had caused “an impasse”.
“They have been willing to be sent to Ukraine for a long time, but they depend on the conditions that Ukraine communicates that it wants to have the transportation and its operationalization”said José Luís Carneiro, on the sidelines of the conference “The New Economy” organized by CNN Portugal.
Asked about the fact that the six Kamov firefighting helicopters are still in the country, José Luís Carneiro recalled that the Ministry of Defense has entered into a commitment with the previous Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, who died after an accident.
‘This created a deadlock, but the Ministry of Defense and [o Ministério] of Foreign Affairs are following this case”he assured.
The six Kamov firefighting helicopters that Portugal offered to Ukraine more than a year ago are still in the country, awaiting instructions from Portuguese authorities in Kiev, the Defense Ministry told Lusa on Tuesday.
The six Kamovs, which are not licensed to operate in Portugal because they are of Russian origin, are out of action and parked at Ponte de Sor airport, in the Portalegre district.
The announcement to send the helicopters to Ukraine was made in October 2022 by Defense Minister Helena Carreiras, a decision criticized at the time by Moscow, which considered it a “violation of its contractual obligations”.
In June this year, the Minister of Defense stated that preparations for sending the Kamovs were planned.
Of the six heavy helicopters, one has had an accident since 2012, two others have been under repair since 2015, and the remaining three Kamov have been idle since early 2018.
The Kamovs were taken over by the Ministry of the Interior in 2006, then led by current Prime Minister António Costa.
Source: DN
