Portugal slams Rutte for ‘regrettable’ claim that Lisbon downplays Russian threat

Portugal’s foreign ministry on Tuesday slammed Mark Rutte after the NATO chief said that for Lisbon, Russia was a distant and less relevant threat. “Portugal, its Government and its people have never been in any doubt about which side of history they stand on,” the ministry said on X.

“It is regrettable that the NATO Secretary General should speak so lightly on such a serious matter. “Mark Rutte should know better than to overlook the countries and governments that stand firmly by Ukraine and fully understand the threat posed by Russia,” it added.

Rutte told Dutch TV last week that Southern European countries like Spain and Portugal see Russian aggression as remote. “Sometimes I tell our allies in Spain or Portugal, who say, ‘It’s far away, and what happens in Russia mainly affects Poland'” that “Russia’s latest missiles take 5 minutes longer to reach Lisbon than Warsaw,” he said.