Portugal’s PM Luís Montenegro, said today, Tuesday 6 January, that the deployment of Portuguese troops on the ground in Ukraine is “out of the question” for as long as the war continues.
Following what he described as a “very productive meeting” in Paris between Ukraine’s main allies, Montenegro said the focus is on achieving a “just and lasting peace”, potentially supported by a force on the ground “capable of deterring any disruption to peace, which means strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities and those of allied states supporting Ukraine”.
The prime minister stressed that Portugal is already contributing to peace efforts through “air and maritime capabilities” and noted that the country “has long been a partner in peacekeeping forces, as is the case in Romania and Slovakia”, adding that such deployments may not be necessary in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies met in Paris in an effort to move towards a resolution of what is the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War.
In preparation for the meeting, national security advisers from 15 countries — including France, Germany and Canada, as well as representatives from the European Union and NATO, gathered in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday.
Steve Witkoff, envoy of US President Donald Trump, took part remotely in the discussions, which focused on the details of the latest version of a plan to bring the conflict with Russia to an end.
The diplomatic push, backed by the US president, was subsequently overshadowed by claims from Moscow, which accused Kyiv of launching a drone attack involving 91 drones on the night of 28–29 December against a residence linked to Vladimir Putin.
Kyiv denied the allegation, saying it was intended to provide a pretext for further attacks on Ukraine and to undermine diplomatic negotiations. European officials also expressed doubts about the veracity of the claim.
Source: LUSA
