“Portugal, from the beginning, has sent material of various types, and we have guaranteed our support to Ukraine in this regard and, at this moment, what we are committed to is to provide training for pilots and mechanics”, said Helena Carreiras.

Ukraine will receive F-16 fighters from the Netherlands and Denmark after the United States (USA) recently gave the green light, a decision that the Ukrainian Government considers to be “great news”.

The US State Department, responsible for the country's foreign policy, said that the Netherlands and Denmark received "formal guarantees" to send the fighters as soon as the training of the first group of pilots for F-16 is completed.

The United States has strict rules about the resale or transfer of US military equipment by allies.

The defense minister also considered that some countries have more capacity and willingness to contribute with the means, as is the case of Denmark and the Netherlands.

“We [Portugal] will contribute with pilot training and mechanic training for this logistical effort that is absolutely critical for the capacity to work”, concluded Helena Carreiras.