Key facts
- Portugal's foreign ministry said Rutte should not overlook countries that stand firmly by Ukraine.
- Rutte said Russia's latest missiles take five minutes longer to reach Lisbon than Warsaw.
- NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said all Allies agree Russia is a threat.
- Spain has given 1.5 billion euros in aid to Ukraine since 2022, or 0.2% of GDP, per the Kiel Institute.
- Portugal has donated 390 million euros, or 0.18% of GDP, the Kiel Institute tracker shows.
- A Eurobarometer poll found 92% in Portugal and 82% in Spain saw Russia's invasion as a threat to the EU.
Portugal's foreign ministry on November 10 criticized NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte after he said Southern European countries like Spain and Portugal treat Russian aggression as a distant 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 called it regrettable that the NATO secretary general should speak so lightly on such a serious matter, and said Rutte should know better than to overlook countries that stand firmly by Ukraine.
Rutte told Dutch TV last week that allies in Spain or Portugal say what happens in Russia mainly affects Poland, and that Russia's latest missiles take five minutes longer to reach Lisbon than Warsaw.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said all Allies agree Russia is a threat, and that while all governments understand the threat, Rutte often explains to public audiences how close it is to all Allies.
Since Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022, Spain has given 1.5 billion euros in military and humanitarian aid, or 0.2% of its GDP, according to the Kiel Institute's Ukraine Support Tracker. Portugal has donated 390 million euros, or 0.18% of GDP, the tracker shows, far below Germany and frontline countries.
A Eurobarometer poll taken this spring found that 92% of those surveyed in Portugal saw Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a security threat to the EU, against 82% in Spain and an EU average of 76%.