Ukraine's Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal met with his Portuguese counterpart Nuno Melo in Kyiv, where Portugal confirmed its readiness to allocate €50 million ($52 million) to the PURL mechanism that facilitates arms purchases from the United States for Ukraine.
Shmyhal announced the development on social media platform X, thanking Melo for visiting the Ukrainian capital. "Expressed my gratitude to Portugal for the assistance announced during the UDCG meeting and for the readiness to contribute €50 million to the PURL mechanism," the minister wrote.
Portugal also committed to directing $26 million annually over five years through the SAFE initiative, which will be used to procure Ukrainian defense products. This amounts to $130 million in total support for Ukraine's domestic defense industry over the period.
The ministers discussed Ukraine's critical defense requirements, focusing on the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure, according to Shmyhal's statement.
The meeting took place during Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's first official visit to Ukraine. On 20 December, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Montenegro signed a partnership agreement on the production of maritime drones in Kyiv.
During his visit, Montenegro also announced $625,000 in contributions to Ukraine's Energy Support Fund.
"We discussed the continuation of cooperation, particularly in the defense industry, the prospects for mutually beneficial projects, and the long-term development of our capabilities," Shmyhal said.
