MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ADVISES PORTUGUESE TO TEMPORARILY LEAVE UKRAINE

Minister assured that the Portuguese Embassy in Kiev will remain open to guarantee support to Portuguese citizens.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs said that Portugal does not recommend travel to Ukraine and that the consular services suggest that Portuguese people residing there temporarily leave the country if they do not have to stay for essential reasons.

“Firstly, we strongly recommend that any Portuguese who does not need to travel to Ukraine now for strictly indispensable reasons, do not do so. We recommend that no trips to Ukraine be made, other than those that are strictly essential,” said the minister in statements to journalists.

“As for the Portuguese residing in Ukraine, which are around 240, the Embassy and consular section in Kiev are in permanent contact with all of them. Those who do not have to stay in Ukraine for essential reasons, who consider temporarily leaving that country”, reinforced Augusto Santos Silva.

The minister assured that the Portuguese Embassy in Kiev will remain open to guarantee support to Portuguese citizens living in Ukraine, with Portugal defending the right to sovereignty of Ukrainians in this conflict against Russia.

We have no doubt in defending the right of Ukrainians to have their sovereignty, their choices and their territorial integrity respected”, said the Portuguese minister.

Augusto Santos Silva also mentioned that Russia is “building a set of military capabilities on its border with Ukraine and is carrying out exercises on a scale never seen before in Belarus”, which characterizes a “very dangerous” situation in the region.

Contact details Portuguese Embassy Kiev herePhone(00380) 442 875 861 (Chancery)(00380) 442 875 871 (Consular Section)(00380) 442 875 872 (Consular Section)Fax – (00380) 442 872 066 (Consular Section)E-mail – kiev@mne.pt (Embassy)sconsular.kiev@mne.pt (Consular Section)