Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal held talks with Portuguese counterpart Nuno Melo, agreeing on key issues of defense cooperation and the needs of the Ukrainian army. Shmyhal announced this on Telegram, UNN reports.
Details
I had a conversation with the Minister of National Defense of Portugal, Nuno Melo. We coordinated the main issues of our defense cooperation and the priority needs of the Ukrainian army. I thanked Portugal for its active participation in the meetings of the Contact Group in the "Ramstein" format and its contribution to the International Fund for the Purchase of Weapons for Ukraine (IFU) in the amount of 12 million dollars.
According to the minister, the parties discussed Portugal's participation in the initiative to purchase American weapons for Ukraine (PURL), including a contribution of 50 million US dollars and the possibilities of its further expansion. He also emphasized the prospects for implementing joint projects within the SAFE program, which will open new avenues of cooperation between the defense-industrial complexes of both countries.
We discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defense. We are also interested in expanding cooperation in the areas of unmanned systems, tactical communications, cyber defense, and maritime technologies.
These agreements are intended to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities and deepen its partnership with Portugal in critical security sectors.