Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has announced that Portugal’s aid to Ukraine will reach over €220 million ($239 mn) this year and will be replicated in 2025, reports Lusa.
“This year, we will be able to reach a value of support of more than €220 million, which will be repeated next year,” Montenegro told journalists before a dinner at Portugal’s official residence in Washington.
The prime minister also reiterated Portugal’s commitment to increase its defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2029, a year earlier than previously planned.
Montenegro argued that while this increased spending is primarily for security reasons, it could also stimulate economic activity in Portugal.
According to Portuguese PM, it will be centered on technology, on all the knowledge we already have in various materials, in various pieces of equipment.
“We have, for example, a very significant competitiveness in terms of drones and unmanned vehicles, and then we have other materials related, for example, to our textile industry, which is highly competitive for a lot of the equipment that the military forces need,” he added.
The NATO summit, commemorating the alliance’s 75th anniversary, focuses on support for Ukraine. According to Lusa, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has proposed that the Alliance commit to an annual sum of €40 billion ($44 bn) for Ukraine.
Montenegro, accompanied by Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel and Defence Minister Nuno Melo, is participating in the official welcoming ceremony and the meeting of the North Atlantic Council during the summit.
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