The Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, has caused discomfort in the Portuguese Government by minimizing, in the eyes of Lisbon, the degree of the country’s commitment to aid Ukraine, by considering that the war is relatively far from Portuguese territory.
The disagreement began last week when, in an interview with Dutch television, Rutte said that "Spain and Portugal say that (the war) 'is very far away, and what happens in Russia mainly affects Poland'" and added that "the most recent Russian missiles take 5 minutes longer to reach Lisbon than to reach Warsaw".
Lisbon’s response came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has censured the Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance for the way he addressed Portugal’s involvement in support for Kyiv.
"It is regrettable that he speaks so lightly about a matter of such seriousness," the Ministry replied, taking the opportunity to remind Rutte that "he has an obligation to know which countries and governments are firmly on Ukraine’s side and that they know well the Russian threat".
"Portugal, its Government and its people never had doubts about the correct side of History," concludes the note sent by Foreign Affairs.