The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, asked this Friday in Lisbon for Portugal to participate in an international coalition for the training of pilots and the supply of modern combat aircraft, as well as support for Kiev’s accession to NATO.
After a meeting with his Portuguese counterpart, João Gomes Cravinho, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy said that military assistance and the dynamics of the ongoing war, since the Russian invasion, on February 24 last year, were discussed, noting that Lisbon and Kiev are aligned. on the need for Ukraine to fully restore its territorial integrity.
“I invited Portugal to join the coalition of fighter jets, starting to train Ukrainian pilots,” Kuleba said at a press conference, in a proposal that the Portuguese colleague recorded but did not comment on, recalling that Portugal already participates in the supply group. of modern tanks: “So we thought it would also be very helpful if you could work on planes with us.”
The Kiev diplomacy leader pointed out that support for his country began to evolve faster than in previous months and the time has come to reinforce it, being “the first step the training of pilots.”
According to Kuleba, another of the issues discussed was Ukraine’s entry into NATO, a topic that will be on the agenda of the organization’s next leaders’ summit, to be held on July 11 and 12 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
“I think we have a common understanding on this matter, and I appreciate the support that Portugal gives to Ukraine within the European Union. [UE] on all issues, in particular the opening of accession talks between Ukraine and the EU at the end of this year,” he said.
But, joining NATO, Dmytro Kuleba warned that this is not the end of the war, nor an immediate process.
“We all understand that NATO is not the instrument to end the war, NATO is the instrument to avoid new wars,” he said, although he invited the organization’s leaders to seek a way out for the integration of Kiev, already in the Meeting in Vilnius.
Source: TSF
