The president of the Assembly of the Republic, Augusto Santos Silva, revealed this Thursday that he has already arranged a visit to Ukraine with his counterpart from the country, which will take place “as soon as it is convenient.”
The trip “is arranged with my colleague, the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament and it will take place as soon as it is convenient,” he explained, before noting, when asked about the date it will take place, that “these things are not announced in advance”.
Rejecting the existence of a common objective of “defeating Russia”, Santos Silva argues -quoting Joe Biden- that what is important is “defeating Russian aggression”.
“The moment it leaves the Ukrainian territories it has occupied, when it ceases its aggression, at that moment the war will end. Until then, we will support the defense of Ukraine”, he stressed in statements to CNN Portugal on the sidelines of the International Conference. “A year of war in Ukraine”, which takes place at the Lusíada University, in Lisbon.
“The decision on peace is in the hands of the aggressor and the aggressor has to stop the aggression for peace to be possible,” he stressed, adding that there has been “firmness” on the part of the “West” in humanitarian, political, diplomatic support. , economic, financial and “also military” support.
Before the congressmen, especially university students, Santos Silva recalled the first 15 hours of the invasion, in 2022, when he was Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Assembly of the Republic will also be represented this week in Ukraine, he revealed, through a deputy (from the PSD) integrated into a European delegation.
Santos Silva also defended, in statements to the Lusa news agency, that the People’s Republic of China should be “less ambiguous” in relation to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
“China would benefit from being less ambiguous, China is a state that should fully realize that a country’s territorial integrity is an essential criterion for international relations and that no one has the right to forcibly alter internationally recognized borders and invade territories that are not yours,” he said when asked about Beijing’s latest diplomatic initiatives.
“China says that it is working for peace, all those who work for peace must be heard, but I insist that for peace to be possible in Ukraine, Russian aggression must end and aggression must be condemned,” he added on the sidelines. of the conference on Ukraine. .
Aside from work, Santos Silva said that, taking into account the principles of the United Nations, Portugal is “absolutely clear” in defending those who are being attacked and condemning those who are attacking.
Santos Silva, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, also said that Portugal’s positions, since the first hours of the invasion (February 24, 2022) have coincided with the positions of the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance, reiterating their support for the latest Statements by the US Head of State on the conflict.
Source: TSF
