Luis Montenegro was in this Tuesday Washington in the US to attend NATO summit. Portugal’s prime minister reiterated the alliance’s importance, saying “was of fundamental importance for maintaining and seeking peace in many regions.”
Montenegro has guaranteed that Portugal will commit to achieving 2% of its budget spending on defence a year earlier than expected.
“We have a commitment, which I formalised just yesterday in a letter I sent to the NATO Secretary General, that 2% of our defence budget will be achieved a year earlier than expected, in 2029,” the First Minister said.
Luis Montenegro said he had a goal “with a direct security aspect – to contribute to strengthening the capabilities” of NATO.
“This alliance protects us all,” he added.
Montenegro wants to reach a support amount for Ukraine of more than 220 million euros.
The Prime Minister also wants to invest in preserving human capital.
Luis Montenegro considered the day a day of joy thanks to the agreement between the security forces and the government.
“Today we have achieved the biggest pay rise in the history of the Portuguese police. Never before has a government assessed the pay of the professionals who serve in the GNR and the PSP so broadly,” he said.
Regarding a possible Trump victory in the US elections and what that would mean for NATO, the Portuguese Prime Minister said that “there are commitments that go far beyond the dynamics of each country’s domestic politics.”