Costa rejects “any differences” between the government and the president of the republic over Ukraine

The prime minister this Sunday dismissed the existence of “any differences” between the government and the president of the republic regarding Ukraine and said that the executive branch, as responsible for foreign policy, determines the position of Portugal.

“As for the issue of Ukraine, I did not find any disagreement between the president of the republic and the government,” António Costa told reporters in Sao Tome after the summit of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP).

At a joint press conference with Marcelo Rebelo de Souza, which was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister stated that “the Government, which, in accordance with the Constitution, is responsible for the conduct of the foreign and domestic policy of the country, has long determined what its understanding of European perspectives of Ukraine, in full agreement with the President of the Republic”.

António Costa believes that Portugal “from the very beginning” told Ukraine that it would provide “all support” and provide “technical support for the pre-accession work.”

“What Portugal is saying with all transparency, and this is our duty to the Ukrainians, is that the expectations that the European Union has created for Ukraine cannot be deceived,” he said, deeming it necessary to check whether the country really meets the criteria accession, but also the question of whether the European Union meets the criteria to successfully welcome those countries that want to join.

The head of government noted that this issue had already been considered at a meeting of the State Council.

Costa noted that “today there is a very clear consensus in the European Union that with such a budgetary and institutional architecture it is impossible to accommodate either Ukraine or other candidate countries”, but this “cannot be a pretext for postponing any type of accession, should become motivation to accelerate the necessary reforms within the European Union”.

The Prime Minister also noted that Ukraine is a country that “alone becomes the fifth largest in the European Union”, which implies “an increase in spending on the Common Agricultural Policy by about 25% and that it is certainly in very difficult conditions for the whole of Europe “.

“What would be frivolous and responsible is not to put on the table all the questions that need to be asked and that must be well resolved in order for the process of Ukraine’s integration to succeed, at least as great as the success of integration. Portuguese, Spaniards, Greeks, from all the countries that join the European Union,” he said.

The head of government also noted that Portugal’s attitude “was very positively assessed by Ukraine and, in particular, by President Zelensky”, as he “realizes that there are not only good sides in life”, and in order to have a good one, it is important to “solve the difficult side” .

The Prime Minister was asked about the state of relations with the President of the Republic, and they met for the first time after the veto on the housing diploma and after the visit of the head of state to Ukraine, where, according to him, there is no “one double game” in the position of Portugal regarding the European integration of Ukraine, which is supportive, and stated that “there is no one above the president who could say something different.”

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa went on to point out the discrepancy between the schedules, noting that both were on vacation to which “they are entitled” and emphasized that in this area “there is nothing more pathological or anything special, if not for this coincidence.” met now in Sao Tome at the CPLP summit.

António Costa later commented that on this trip he took “a little vacation break” and that he still had a few more days “until the end of the month”.