Prime Minister, António Costa, will receive the Ukrainian ambassador to Portugal at his official residence, São Bento, this afternoon at 3:00 pm.
The Ukrainian ambassador to Portugal, Inna Ohnivets, already met with the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, at the Palácio de Belém, last Thursday, the first day of the Russian military offensive in Ukrainian territory.
Upon leaving that meeting, Inna Ohnivets expressed “deep gratitude to Portugal” for the condemnation of this attack and stated that “Ukraine expects the support of NATO and the European Union”, not only through the imposition of sanctions on Russia, but “also, if possible, military support”.
“Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but if Ukraine is occupied by Russia, I ask: which country will be next? And it can be a member of NATO. Therefore, Ukraine is now defending not only its territory, but the whole of Europe,” he told reporters.
On Monday, Inna Ohnivets asked the Portuguese government to support Ukraine's accession to the European Union and to consider breaking diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation, thanking the sanctions and military assistance.
These positions were conveyed by the Ukrainian ambassador at a joint press conference with the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, to present measures to support Ukrainian families in the Portuguese capital.
The Russian Federation launched a military ground force offensive in Ukraine at dawn on Thursday, bombing targets in several cities, which according to Ukrainian authorities has already caused the death of more than 350 civilians, including children.
The United Nations (UN) has reported that more than 660,000 have been displaced since the first day of this offensive.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the "special military operation" in Ukraine is aimed at demilitarizing the neighbouring country and that it was the only way for the country to defend itself and will last as long as necessary.
The attack was condemned by the majority of the international community. The European Union and the United States of America, among others, responded by sending weapons and ammunition to Ukraine and tightening sanctions to isolate the Moscow regime.
Source Lusa
