Kuleba meets with Portuguese FM in Kyiv

by Nate Ostiller and The Kyiv Independent news desk February 6, 2024 3:43 PM 1 min read

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (R) and his Portuguese counterpart Joao Cravinho in Kyiv on Feb. 6, 2024. (Dmytro Kuleba/Twitter)

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Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with his Portuguese counterpart Joao Cravinho in Kyiv on Feb. 6 during Cravinho's two-day visit to Ukraine.

The Portuguese delegation arrived in Ukraine on Feb. 5, headed by Cravinho and Education Minister Joao Costa.

It was not Cravinho's first visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, having visited on several occasions since 2022, including on Ukraine's Independence Day in August 2022.

His most recent visit was with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in August 2023.

Portugal's Foreign Ministry said the delegation had planned a two-day visit "with the war and the recovery of Ukraine on the agenda."

Kuleba thanked Cravinho for his "personal firm position in support of Ukraine" and said the two discussed Ukraine's peace formula, Ukraine's accession into NATO and the EU, and further Portuguese military assistance.

"Ukraine counts on the EU to speed up and increase the delivery of artillery shells in sufficient numbers. Ukrainian soldiers deserve and anticipate relevant decisions," Kuleba added.

Ukraine is increasingly facing a "critical" shortage of artillery shells, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reportedly said in January.

The EU had promised to deliver Ukraine 1 million shells by March 2024 but is far behind the target and unlikely to reach it within the next month.

Authors: Nate Ostiller, The Kyiv Independent news desk

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