Stories
Rubio Visits Portugal to Strengthen Ties and Praise NATO Ally
- •US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Portugal on the final leg of his three-nation tour of NATO allies.
- •Rubio expressed gratitude to Portuguese officials for allowing the US to use the Lajes Field air base in the Azores for military refuelling during the Iran war.
- •Portugal's centre-right government granted conditional approval for using the base, contrasting with Spain's refusal to support US operations.
- •Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel clarified that the approval excluded hostile actions violating international law, while domestic political debate surrounds the legality of the base's use.
- •Portugal currently spends just over 2 percent of its GDP on defence and plans to increase spending to around 3 percent.
Key Questions Answered
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Portugal on the final leg of a three-nation tour of NATO allies to build deeper ties and thank Portuguese officials for supporting US operations in the Iran war. Portugal granted conditional approval for the US to use the Lajes Field air base for military refuelling flights.
Following a formal complaint by the small left-wing political party Left Bloc, Portugal's attorney general's office is looking into whether the use of the Lajes Field base for US operations was lawful. Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel noted that the approval did not include hostile actions violating international law.
Portugal currently spends just over 2 percent of its GDP on defense, and the government plans to increase this defense spending to around 3 percent, which includes dual-use investments in civilian infrastructure. The country has approximately 25,000 military personnel.
