Marcelo invited Zelensky to visit Portugal

An epic end to two unforgettable days. Marcelo said goodbye to Kiev, once again violating protocol, sitting on the terrace on the main avenue of the Ukrainian capital and drinking beer with Portuguese Ambassador Alves Machado, Foreign Minister Gomes Cravinho and Ukraine’s Ambassador to Portugal. , Marina Mikhailenko. A crowd quickly gathered, and the President could not resist and took a “selfie” with several citizens of Ukraine. “A beer with a very pleasant taste,” said Marcelo, highlighting the seeming normality of a country at war.

A few hours earlier, the head of state fulfilled what everyone already knew: Volodymyr Zelensky’s invitation to visit Portugal. “What I can say at the moment is that I hope to see him in Portugal sooner than I thought,” said Marcelo, adding that “the conditions under which this happens will take some time” to become known .

At the official ceremony celebrating the Independence Day of Ukraine and in front of the heads of several states of other countries (Lithuania, Norway and Bosnia), Marcelo was the only one who delivered a speech in Ukrainian. “Congratulations, Ukraine! Portugal will always be and will be with your independence. In the past – in condemnation of the intolerable Russian invasion, in the present – in support, all this is in your legitimate defense, without which there would be and will not be peace and security in Europe. In the future – in the European Union and NATO.

I embrace all the courageous and indomitable Ukrainian people,” Marcelo concluded, leaving a guarantee that Portugal would support Ukraine “as long as necessary.”

Mobile phones at the door and a mandatory embargo
Marcelo Rebelo de Souza’s visit to Ukraine took place under strict security measures, especially during the meetings he shared with Volodymyr Zelensky. All appointments in which the President of Ukraine follows a strict protocol. This Thursday, at an Independence Day ceremony where Marcelo spoke Ukrainian, cell phones had to be put on “airplane mode” and all equipment that allowed reporter teams to broadcast live had to be left at the door. Previously, a strong military contingent checked the passports, and everyone had to go through a metal detector.

At the presidential palace, the measures are even stricter. There are sniffer dogs that comb suitcases and equipment for explosives. And cell phones can’t even enter the room.

In addition to restrictions on communication, there are always embargoes on meetings. Journalists can transmit information only after they have finished. In the event of a meeting between the two presidents, the statements were made public only an hour later.

Ukrainian troops made a symbolic invasion of Crimea
Ukrainian special forces units made a short-term invasion of Crimea at dawn this Thursday near the cities of Olenivka and Mayak as part of a symbolic operation that coincided with the celebration of Ukraine’s Independence Day. During the invasion, Kyiv forces raised the Ukrainian flag in territory controlled by Russia since 2014. “All objectives of the operation were achieved,” the Defense Ministry said, adding that Ukrainian forces used small boats to reach the coast and inflicted numerous enemy casualties.

Decorated with the Order and the Ring so that no one can see.
The President of the Republic during a private ceremony awarded his Ukrainian colleague with the Great Collar of the Order of Freedom and an emerald ring. “He received [a condecoração]”Of course, but it was a private ceremony,” Marcelo said on Kyiv’s most famous street, Khreshchatyk. The head of state indicated that the ceremony was held “with restraint”, which characterizes Zelensky. February was meant to be spent decorating the President of Ukraine.

Memories for Pacheco and Soares
Pacheca Pereira and João Soares, invited by the President to join the delegation that visited Kiev, could not resist taking a picture with Marcelo against the backdrop of the wreckage of a Russian tank located on the main avenue of the city.

AND

historical forgery
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya accused Ukraine of “falsifying its own history”, citing alleged school textbooks that say “the Portuguese are descended from the ancient Ukrainians”. “What use can be made of this historical error and heresy?” – he asked.

Consensus in Portugal
Presidency Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva stressed the “broad consensus” that exists in Portugal on “unambiguous support for Ukraine.”

Accompany
The President noted that Portugal “has experience” of international missions in Africa and can monitor the activities of “non-African” groups. [referindo-se ao Grupo Wagner] that operate on this continent.”