Portugal and Ukraine discuss joint construction of drone factory

O President of the Republic said today that he addressed with Ukraine's counterpart the possibility of joint construction in Portugal of a factory for the production of drones.

 
“ One of the points that was on the table was the possibility of building a joint factory in Portugal for the production of drones,” said António José Seguro, at a press conference in Madrid, where he had a bilateral meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky today.

“ This was one of the topics we have addressed and now, of course, this possibility will be developed by the competent authorities, namely by the government,” he added.

António José Seguro met in Madrid today with Volodymyr Zelensky and, according to the Ukrainian Presidency earlier this afternoon, the two talked about the possibility of joint arms production.

“ We discussed with the [Portuguese] President how Portugal can support our energy system and help protect lives in Ukraine. We have also talked about our opportunities for joint arms production. We sincerely hope that there will be further steps towards this support,” Zelensky said in a publication on social network X.

The Presidency of the Republic of Portugal had also confirmed the meeting between Seguro and Zelensky in Madrid on the margins of the 30th Ibero-American Summit, which ended today in the Spanish capital.

“The President of the Republic, António José Seguro, met with the President of Ukraine at his request,” the Portuguese Presidency said.

According to the same note, at the meeting, to which no journalists attended, “Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Portugal for its consistent support for Ukraine since the beginning of the war and asked for the continuation of this support, both politically and militaryly and financially.”.

“The President of the Republic assured his counterpart of Portugal’s continued support and expressed his expectation that the peace talks that will soon resume could result in the end of the war [with Russia] on the basis of a just solution that guarantees a lasting peace that is in line with international law and respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Presidency added in that note.

In addition to the President of the Republic, the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, said official Portuguese sources, also attended the meeting.

According to information released by the presidency of the two countries, Zelensky thanked Seguro for the message of condolences sent by the President of the Republic following this week's attack on a humanitarian facility in the Komyshovakha region.

“Russia attacks our cities and communities every day with drones and missiles. Our energy sector has suffered a lot of damage and it is very difficult to restore everything,” Zelensky wrote on the X, about the attack on Komyshuvakha and the issues he addressed with António José Seguro.

The President of Ukraine arrived in Madrid on Thursday to meet with the leaders of the Iberian American community who are in the Spanish capital.