President marks 1,000 days of ‘courageous’ Ukraine resistance
Portugal Resident
While in Russia President Putin ‘extends possibility of using nuclear weapons’
Portugal’s president Marcelo has today marked Ukraine’s “1,000 days of courageous resistance” against Russia, declaring that Portugal continues to support Ukrainians on their path to joining the European Union and their aspirations to join NATO.
No matter what is going ahead on the wider level (and a lot is), Portugal’s head of state has written a message on his official site (in video format in English), which was sent today to President Zelenskyy in Ukraine.
“Today marks 1,000 days of Ukraine’s courageous resistance against Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression. Portugal continues to stand by Ukraine on the road to membership of the European Union, in its aspirations to join NATO and firm in its commitment to provide military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine,” reads the text, which corresponds to the animated message recorded on video in English.
The message ends with the Ukrainian greeting ‘slava Ukraini’, which means ‘glory to Ukraine’.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa made a two-day visit to Ukraine in August last year, at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of that country’s independence.
On this visit to Ukraine, he passed through Kiev, Bucha, Moshchun, Irpin and Horenka, as a sign of support for the Ukrainians in the war of defence against invasion by the Russian Federation that began in February 2022.
In May this year, Mr Zelenskyy was in Lisbon on a visit lasting a few hours, during which he met with prime minister, Luís Montenegro, and a bilateral cooperation and security agreement was signed.
During his visit to Portugal, Mr Zelenskyy was also received by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, with military honours.
But also today – in response to Ukraine firing its first (US made) long-range missiles into Russia, President Putin has ‘retaliated’ by signing a decree extending the possibility of using nuclear weapons.
As Lusa remarks, “the signing of the decree comes a thousand days into Russia’s offensive against Ukraine”.
The “strategic planning document” includes the “official position on nuclear deterrence”, “defines the military dangers and threats against which nuclear deterrence can be used” and guarantees a response to “aggression” by “a potential enemy”, either against Russia or “against its allies”.
The decree, published on the Russian authorities’ legal documents portal, aims to “improve state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence” and is scheduled to come into force as soon as Putin signs it (which means it is already in force).
“Among conditions justifying the use of nuclear weapons is the launch of ballistic missiles against Russia,” says the decree.
Putin warned at the end of September that his country could already use nuclear weapons in the event of a “massive launch” of air strikes against Russia and that any attack carried out by a non-nuclear country, such as Ukraine, but supported by a power with atomic weapons, such as the United States, could be considered a “joint” aggression, potentially requiring the use of nuclear weapons.
In the context of intensifying deadly and destructive attacks by Moscow’s troops in Ukraine (flying in the face of entreaties by Western leaders, including, purportedly, the US president-elect Donald Trump), outgoing US President Joe Biden has authorised Ukraine to attack Russian territory with long-range missiles supplied by the United States.
The ATACMS missiles supplied by the United States should initially be used in the Russian border region of Kursk, where North Korean soldiers have been deployed to support Russian troops, according to the US press.
Lusa adds that President Putin has been talking about the possible use of nuclear weapons since the beginning of its so-called ‘special military operation’.
“Russia sent tactical nuclear weapons in the summer of 2023 to Belarus, its closest ally, which also announced in May a synchronized exercise with Moscow to check its tactical nuclear weapons launchers”, says the state news agency.
Source material: LUSA
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