Portugal and Ukraine

1. Recognition of Ukraine: January 7, 1992.

2. Establishment of diplomatic relations: January 27, 1992.

3. Political dialogue

Relations between Ukraine and the Portuguese Republic are characterized by a high level of political dialogue, cooperation and trust. Portugal actively supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, its European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. In June 2022, Portugal supported the decision of the Council of the EU to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine.

Since Russia’s full-scale military aggression against Ukraine began in February 2022, an active bilateral political dialogue has been ongoing. In particular, in 2022 there were two official visits to Ukraine – of the Prime Minister of Portugal A. Costa (May 21) and of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal J. Cravinho (August 24), as well as the visit of the First Lady of Ukraine O. Zelenska to Portugal in order to participate in the international technological conference Web Summit (November 01-04), during which she met with the President of Portugal M. de Sousa and the Prime Minister of Portugal A. Costa.

In addition, in 2023 the following events took place:

• meeting between the First Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yu. Svyrydenko and the President of Portugal M. de Sousa on the sidelines of the events on the occasion of the inauguration of the newly elected President of Brazil (January 01);
• telephone conversation between the President of Ukraine V. Zelenskyy and the Prime Minister of Portugal A. Costa (January 9);
• visit of the Minister of National Defence of Portugal H. Carreiras to Ukraine (February 24);
• meeting of Kyiv Mayor V. Klychko with Lisbon Mayor C. Moedas (April 4);
• telephone conversations between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine D. Kuleba and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal J. Cravinho (April 21 and 22);
• meeting between the President of Ukraine V. Zelenskyy and the Prime Minister of Portugal A. Costa on the sidelines of the summit of the European Political Community in Moldova (June 1);
• telephone conversation between First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yu. Svyrydenko and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal J. Cravinho (June 19).

Furthermore, on May 2-3, 2023, the first-ever official visit of the Chairman of the Assembly of the Republic A.S. Silva to Ukraine took place. On May 19-21, 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine D. Kuleba paid a working visit to Portugal.

4. Trade and economic relations

According to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the results of 2022 demonstrate a certain slowdown in bilateral trade due to the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Foreign trade turnover (2022) amounted to $204.6 million (↓54.6%), Ukrainian exports to Portugal decreased by 59.5% and amounted to $140.5 million (compared to $359.7 million in 2021), and Ukrainian imports from Portugal decreased by 38.6% and amounted to $64.1 million (compared to $35.6 million for 2021). The positive balance for Ukraine amounted to $76.4 million.

Trade in goods

In 2022, bilateral trade amounted to $196.7 million and decreased by 54.3% compared to 2021, while the export of goods from Ukraine to Portugal amounted to $135.9 million and decreased by 60.2%, the import of Portuguese goods to Ukraine amounted to $60.8 million and decreased by 31.5%. The positive balance for Ukraine during this period amounted to $75.0 million.

The main articles of Ukrainian commodity exports to Portugal traditionally remain agricultural products, in particular cereals – 57.5% of total exports (↓48.0%), ferrous metals – 12.1% (↓70.3%), electric machines – 6.1% (↓5.7%), seeds and fruits of oil plants – 5.8% (↓87.6%), furniture – 4.5% (↑40.9%), wood and wood products – 3.1% (↑7.8%).

Commodity structure of imports from Portugal: electrical machines – 13.4% (↓35.4%), paper and cardboard – 8.1% (↓5.6%), tobacco and tobacco substitutes – 6.7% (previously not supplied), alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages – 6.1% (↓39.6%), nuclear reactors, boilers, machines – 5.7% (↓64.3%).

Trade in services

In 2022, the volume of trade in services amounted to $9.6 million and decreased by 58.1% compared to 2022, while the export of services from Ukraine to Portugal decreased by 18.2% and amounted to $6.3 million. Imports decreased by 78.3% and amounted to $3.3 million. The positive balance for Ukraine during this period was $3.0 million.

The structure of Ukrainian exports of services: services in the field of telecommunications, computer and information services – 37.6% (↑22.1%), services for the processing of material resources – 26.7% (↓19.4%), transport services – 19.0% (↓47.4%), travel-related services – 5.1% (↑24.7%).

The structure of imports of services from Portugal: transport services – 39.3% (↓87.5%), royalties and other services related to the use of intellectual property, business services – 30.9%; (↑in 2.3 years), state and government services – 5.4% (↓81.4%), services in the field of telecommunications, computer and information services – 10.0% (↓65.6%).

5. Cultural and humanitarian cooperation

Cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Ukraine and Portugal is based on the Agreement between Ukraine and Portugal on cooperation in the fields of education, culture, science, technology, youth, sports and mass media dated December 5, 2001, as well as a number of protocols and agreements concluded between higher education institutions of the countries.

The existing regulatory and legal framework gives an opportunity for the effective and comprehensive development of the bilateral cultural and humanitarian cooperation, which contributes to the active representation of the traditions, history and cultural heritage of Ukraine in Portugal. The Portuguese audience shows significant interest in cultural and artistic events held by the Embassy of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian community plays an important role in popularizing Ukrainian culture and history in Portugal.

On March 3, 2017, the Assembly of the Republic adopted two votes recognizing Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of Ukrainian people and honouring victims of this tragedy.

6. Interparliamentary cooperation

The deputy group of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the inter-parliamentary relations with the Republic of Portugal was created on February 10, 2020. The head of the group is I. Vasiliev. The list of its members can be found at: http://w1.c1.rada.gov.ua/pls/mpz2/organizations.dep_group_members?grp=264

According to the results of the snap parliamentary elections in Portugal, which took place on January 30, 2022, the Portugal-Ukraine Friendship Group in the Assembly of the Republic was created on November 30, 2022. Its head is Diogo Leão.

Since the beginning of the Russian Federation’s full-scale military aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, an active dialogue has been ongoing both at the level of the leadership of two parliaments and parliament’s committees, in particular on foreign affairs and the EU, and groups of friendship.

The Assembly of the Republic has adopted a number of non-legislative documents in support of Ukraine.

On February 24, 2023, the Assembly of the Republic held minute’s silence for those who died in Russia’s war against Ukraine as well as the colloquium on “Ukraine. 365 days later”.

On March 1, 2023, the photo exhibition of Ukrainian photographer Max Levin, killed by Russian aggressors, was inaugurated in the Assembly of the Republic.

7. Existing high-level bilateral bodies

Intergovernmental Ukrainian-Portuguese Commission on Economic Cooperation (the first meeting was held on April 3, 2009 in Kyiv, the second on June 20, 2018 in Lisbon).

8. Contractual and legal basis

The contractual and legal basis of Ukrainian-Portuguese relations consists of 64 bilateral documents, among which 16 are at the intergovernmental level, the rest are at the intergovernmental and interagency levels. The key documents are:

• Agreement on friendship and cooperation between Ukraine and the Portuguese Republic (October 25, 2000);
• Agreement between Ukraine and Portugal on promotion and mutual protection of investments (October 25, 2000);
• Convention on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion Regarding Taxes on Income and on Capital between Ukraine and Portugal (February 9, 2000);
• Agreement on social security between Ukraine and the Portuguese Republic (September 7, 2009);
• Agreement between Ukraine and the Portuguese Republic on mutual protection of information with limited access (May 22, 2017);
• Agreement between Ukraine and the Portuguese Republic on economic cooperation (December 17, 2017);
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Portuguese Republic regarding financial support in the context of the Russian Federation’s aggression to Ukraine (May 21, 2022).
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9. Ukrainian community

According to official statistical data for 2021, there are 698,887 officially registered foreign citizens living in Portugal, among whom citizens of Ukraine occupy the seventh place with 27,195 or 3.9% of the total.

Ukrainian citizens live throughout Portugal, both in cities and in rural areas, with a clear concentration in the main industrial centres of the country and large cities (the capital Lisbon, Cascais, Sintra, Setúbal, Santarem, Coimbra, etc.), in the north (Porto, Viseu, Aveiro, Viana do Castelo, etc.) and the south (Faro, Albufeira, Portimão, Lagoa, Lagos). A small number of Ukrainians lives in the autonomous regions of Portugal – the Azores and the island of Madeira.

Currently, there are 15 Ukrainian assosiations in Portugal, in particular, the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal (Associação dos Ukranianos em Portugal) – a member of the UCU, the Association “Pirâmide das palavras”, the Association of Ukrainian Youth in Portugal (Associação da Juventude Ukrainana em Portugal), Association of Ukrainians of Algarve (Associação dos Ukranianos do Algarve), Ukrainian-Portuguese educational and cultural center “T. Shevchenko School” in Faro (Centro educativo e cultural luso-ucraniano “Escola Tarás Shevtchenko”), Association “Wellspring of the World” (Associação “Fonte Mundo”), Public organization “Portuguese-Ukrainian Social and Cultural Center: Ukraine-Portugal-Europe”, Braga (UPE (Ucrânia-Portugal-Europa) Associação Centro Social e Cultural Luso-Ucraniano), Association of Ukrainians in Portugal “Sobor”, Association “Christian Movement of Ukrainians in Portugal”, Association of Culture and Social Solidarity “Ukrainian House”, Lisbon (Associação da cultura e solidariedade social “Casa da Ucrânia”), Association “Trends of Success” (Associação “Êxito das tendencias”), Charity Association “Angels of Mercy” (Associaçao Solidaria Anjos de Misericordia), Cultural Association of Solidarity and Support “Good Heart (Associação Cultural de Solidariedade e Apoio – Coração Bondoso), Ukrainian socio-cultural association “Side by Side” (Lado a Lado – Associação Socio-Cultural Ukraniana), Association for the Support of the Ukrainian Community in Portugal “ORANTA” (ORANTA – Associação de Apoio à Comunidade Ukrainiana em Portugal).