Portugal has decided to join the aviation coalition by training Ukrainian pilots and mechanics on Western-style combat aircraft, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, during his visit to Lisbon, Kuleba held talks with Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho and Defense Minister Helena Carreiras.

The head of Ukrainian diplomacy told the Portuguese partners in detail about the situation at the front and outlined Ukraine's military needs for effective defense and counter-offensive operations.

Kuleba also thanked the Portuguese government for the decision to join the aviation coalition by training Ukrainian pilots and mechanics on Western-style combat aircraft.

The Portuguese side also confirmed its readiness to further support Ukraine on its way to membership in the European Union.

"The Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Portugal coordinated their positions in the context of preparations for the NATO summit in Vilnius. Kuleba stressed the importance of the Alliance's leaders making a political decision to determine the algorithm for Ukraine's entry into NATO," according to the statement.

The ministers also discussed holding Russia and its leadership accountable for crimes against Ukraine, in particular, the creation of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression.

In addition, Kuleba also paid special attention to the Peace Formula of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, expanding the circle of its support, in particular by joining the countries of the Global South.