The head of the AD list for Europeans felt on Tuesday that the Ukrainian president’s visit to Portugal was a “day of celebration”, prompting the number one socialist to point out the “gross immaturity” revealed by the statement.
These positions were adopted in a debate with candidates from all parties with representation in Parliament, broadcast by RTP and held at the Universidade Nova SBE campus in Carcavelos.
The war in Ukraine, which marked the start of the campaign for the European elections scheduled for June 9 in Portugal, also entered the discussion with AD number one Sebastian Bugalho, given today that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky visited Portugal for the first time – a “day of celebration”.
“This is a day to celebrate Portuguese democracy,” the head of the AD list told the European Parliament.
Sebastian Bugalho said it was a “day of celebration” because in the 50th anniversary year on April 25, Portugal showed that it was “on the side of the world, Europe and Ukrainians.”
PS candidate Marta Temido had a different understanding and responded by pointing out Bugallo’s immaturity, saying it was a “day of celebration” when the president of a country at war could come and ask for help from another country.
“To say today is a day of celebration is a display of cruel immaturity,” he insisted.
Apart from the disagreements, the head of the BE list, Katarina Martins, stressed that “there should be no lightness in this discussion” and that Ukraine has the right to defend itself.
IL first João Cotrim de Figueiredo said Portugal must continue to unconditionally support Ukraine so that the country can “regain its sovereignty” and decide whether it wants to belong to the European Union and NATO.
For his part, candidate Chegi Tanger Correa emphasized that in order for there to be peace, there must be strength, because “it is not Ukraine in a state of weakness that will negotiate peace.”
According to CDU candidate João Oliveira, insisting on providing arms to Ukraine does not mean supporting that country; support would mean insisting on a peace agreement.
On the PAN side, Pedro Fidalgo Márquez warned that in addition to addressing the issue of the humanitarian drama in this country at war, it is necessary to address the environmental issue, namely soil pollution.
According to Livre candidate Francisco Pauperio, Ukraine must decide how to “attack this war”, remembering that “there is always a risk of escalation of this conflict.”
The Ukrainian president left Lisbon early Tuesday evening after a visit that lasted about six hours.
The plane carrying Zelensky took off at 21:02 from Lisbon, where it landed at 14:50, after the Ukrainian head of state visited Brussels in the morning and Madrid on Monday.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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