OREANDA-NEWS Portugal is ready to provide instructors to Kyiv to train the Ukrainian military, but the issue of supplying additional weapons is not being discussed. This was stated by the Minister of Defense of Portugal, Helena Carreiras.

The politician said that there is a possibility of training Ukrainian soldiers in Portugal. It is about maneuvering on Leopard tanks or on the equipment that the Ukrainian army already has and that it need to train its soldiers on. So far, sending more military materials is not on the agenda.

The minister noted that Lisbon already has its assessment of the required training, but the Ukrainian authorities haven't made any specific requests yet. Carreiras assured that, if Ukraine makes this decision, training can be provided immediately. "It is not in fact a post-war situation", she said.

Earlier, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa claimed that the countries of the European Union should abandon the debate over Ukraine's entry into the union and focus on immediate assistance instead. The politician stressed that the assignment of candidate status, which the representatives of the EU countries are arguing about, is only the beginning of the accession process, which will take many years. This status will not solve Ukraine's pressing problems and might create false expectations about it.