Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash
After we published our blog post “41 Hours to Kyiv”, several readers commented that they wanted to see more European perspectives on the situation. We created this page to provide links to sources and stories we find. We are not news analysts or political commentators, and we try very hard to avoid the kind of controversial and divisive topics that can be found many other places on the internet.
But, like most of you, we are deeply concerned and troubled by what we see happening to our neighbors in eastern Europe. As we find news items that reflect events and attitudes in Portugal and across Europe, we’ll post links below. Please be aware that our list is not comprehensive, nor does it attempt to reflect all points of view.
7 April 2022
The Portugal News: Zelensky accepts invitation to speak in Parliament
The President of Ukraine has accepted Portugal’s invitation and will address the Portuguese Parliament by videoconference. No date has been set for the meeting.
6 April 2022
The Portugal News: Portugal expels 10 employees from Russian embassy
Portugal has declared 10 employees of the diplomatic mission of the Russian embassy in Lisbon to be ‘persona non grata’, giving them two weeks to leave the country.
25 March 2022
Euronews: Moldova is holding its breath as the war in Ukraine threatens its neighbours
Moldova is Europe’s poorest country, and one of the smallest, with only 2.6 million residents, many who have close ties to Russia. It shares a border with Ukraine and is economically dependent on both the West and Russia. A reported visited the country to talk with residents and local officials about the mood there.
24 March 2022
Euronews: Lithuanian MPs want to outlaw Russian military Z symbol
Two Lithuanian MPs have called on the country to ban displays of the Russian military ‘Z’ symbol following its invasion of Ukraine.
22 March 2022
The Portugal Resident: Ukrainian community is now second largest in Portugal
18,400 Ukrainian refugees have been granted temporary protection in Portugal in the last few weeks. There are now over 45,000 Ukrainians in Portugal, making them the second largest community after Brazilians.
17 March 2022
Eater.com: Ukraine’s Chefs Are Determined to Fight
“Before the war started, Ukraine’s fine dining scene was on an upswing. Now, its chefs are mobilizing to react to their present-day reality: keeping Kyiv’s citizens and soldiers fed.”
16 March 2022
The Center for European Policy Analysis: Ukraine Won’t Surrender (Apologies to Certain Europeans)
Olga Tokariuk, an independent journalist in Ukraine, gives an impassioned account of why this war is so important to Ukrainians. In her view, “Ukrainians cannot surrender, because that would mean the end of their nationhood”.
The Portugal News: Women 59% of refugees welcomed in Portugal
“Women represent 59% of the total of more than 10,000 Ukrainians welcomed in Portugal since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the Secretary of State for Integration and Migration said today. ‘There are already more than 10,000 people in just over two weeks, ‘ said Cláudia Pereira.” More than a third of the refugees are children, aged 0 – 13. In general terms, the profile of those arriving from Ukraine to Portugal is a mother with two children. Male arrivals are mostly or elderly, given that young people and adults stayed in the country to fight.
The Portugal Resident: Food emergency threatens Portugal
“The war in Ukraine, the fuel crisis, Portugal’s drought, high rates of poverty and low salaries have all combined to ensure nothing is going to be easy in the coming months.” There are several voices raising alarm in this article, with an opposing point of view offered by the Ministry of Agriculture.
We are watching the price of food carefully, along with stocks on the shelves. Nothing noticeable yet.
15 March 2022
The Center for European Policy Analysis: Hunting the Invader: Ukraine’s Special Operations Troops
Federico Borsari, a fellow at CEPA and NATO, give an in-depth look at how Ukraine restructured it’s military since 2014, including the creation of an elite Special Operations Force.
The Center for European Policy Analysis: The Next 10 Days Will Decide This War
Retired US Army General Ben Hodges provides his analysis of the conflict in Ukraine. He believes that the Russian army will be unable to capture Kyiv, due to shortages of troops and ammunition. He recommends that the US expand support to Ukraine on a scale similar to the Berlin Airlift in 1948-49.
11 March 2022
The Foreign Policy Research Institute: Latvia’s First Response to Russia’s War in Ukraine
Una Bermane, a Baltic Sea Fellow ant the FPRI, wrote a detailed analysis of the reactions in Latvia and the two other Baltic states – Lithuania and Estonia – to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Baltic states were once part of the Soviet Union, but are now EU and NATO members. People in these countries are understandably concerned about future aggression from Russia – their immediate neighbor.
10 March 2022
Euronews: Living next door to Russia: How Moscow’s war in Ukraine sparked a seismic shift in Finland
Finland has a 1,300 kilometer long border with Russia – the longest in the EU. The country is not a member of NATO, but joining the alliance is now a topic of debate within the Finnish Parliament. The general public have embraced the sanctions against Russia. There is strong support to ensure the safety of the thousands of Russians who live in Finland.
8 March 2022
European Commission: Ukraine: EU steps up solidarity with those fleeting war
The Commission published a list of the types of assistance that the EU is providing to people fleeing the war and to the countries that are receiving them. Over €10.5 billion is allocated for humanitarian support, border management, protection for those fleeing, expanding reception facilities, and additional investments in housing, health and childcare services, food, and clothing for refugees.
7 March 2022
Euronews: Explained: Denmark’s surprising U-turn on the EU commons defence policy
Denmark is an EU member, but has historically opted out of the EU’s Common Defence and Security Policy. But the Danish Prime Minister has announced a referendum will be held on June 1 to reconsider that position.
4 March 2022
Portugal Resident: Ukrainian refugees to Portugal will have over 11,500 jobs to choose from
The Portuguese Ministry for Labour, Solidarity and Social Security announced that a government task force established 5 days ago to coordinate assistance for refugees from Ukriane had already lined up over 11,500 job openings.
3 March 2022
Portuguese Government press release: Portugal has already received 672 temporary protection requests from Ukrainian citizens
“The Portuguese Secretary of State for Home Affairs, Patrícia Gaspar, took part in the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive for the first time in EU history…” This directive will allow citizens fleeing from the military conflict triggered by Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine to be taken in consistently across EU countries.
The Portugal News: Assessing means to welcome Ukrainians
The National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP) has sent a survey to all municipalities so that they can outline their availability in terms of technical, social and human resources.
2 March 2022
The Portugal News: Portugal stands with Ukraine
1 March 2022
Portuguese Government press release: Government adopts measures to host and integrate Ukrainian citizens
“The Council of Ministers approved a Resolution with simplified requirements for people who fled Ukraine to obtain temporary protection…” The temporary measures include expedited processing for entry into Portugal, arranging for housing, jobs, and schools for children.
The Portugal News: Free calls to Ukraine from Portugal
Major wireless carriers in Portugal are offering free calls until March 15.
The Portugal News: First Ukrainian refugees travel to Algarve
The Association of Ukrainians in the Algarve has organized a bus to pick up family members and acquaintances in Poland.
Portuguese Government press release: Portugal will contribute with 8 to 10 million euros to strengthen Ukraine’s defence
Portugal will contribute 8 to 10 million Euros to an EU package of military support to Ukraine. In addition, Portugal will provide military equipment and supplies, including weapons, to Ukraine. A Portuguese infantry company (174 soldiers) will be deployed to Romania to “strengthen NATO’s presence in the Easter countries”.
27 February 2022
The Portugal News: Golden visas suspended for Russians
25 Feb 2022
The New York Times: I’m in Kyiv, and It Is Terrifying
This is an essay by Veronika Melkozerova, the Executive Editor of The New Voice of Ukraine, an English language news site. We won’t publish many links to US-based media outlets, since they are readily available, but wanted to make you aware of the New Voice site. They are reporting multiple times a day, on the ground in Ukraine.
