Aguiar-Branco in Ukraine
José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, the President of the Assembly of the Republic, is in Ukraine today, March 31, to participate in a ceremony commemorating the Bucha massacre that occurred three years ago at the hands of Russian troops. He is accompanied by Eurico Brilhante Dias, a deputy and former leader of the PS parliamentary group, who currently heads the Portugal-Ukraine Friendship Parliamentary Group.
This visit marks Aguiar-Branco's only official foreign trip following the dissolution of the Parliament by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on March 19, after the failure of a confidence motion presented by the PSD/CDS-PP government led by Luís Montenegro.
Commemorative Ceremony
The first event on Aguiar-Branco's agenda in Ukraine is a ceremony honoring the victims of Bucha, near Kiev, where shocking reports and images of atrocities emerged after the withdrawal of Russian troops in April 2022. More than 300 bodies were discovered, prompting Ukraine to request an investigation into these war crimes from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
After the ceremony, Aguiar-Branco will attend a summit of parliamentary presidents in Kiev and will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Before returning to Lisbon, he is scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by the Ukrainian Parliament president, Ruslan Stefanchuk.
Stance on the Invasion
Aguiar-Branco has recently criticized the notion of an immediate peace at any cost regarding the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. He emphasizes that any resolution must be grounded in International Law. He acknowledges a desire for peace but insists on a world founded on rules, justice, and respect for human rights.
In a recent address in Cascais, he highlighted the enduring values for which both the Portuguese ancestors and the Ukrainians have fought. He stressed, "These are the values we cannot afford to abandon out of indifference or the illusion of immediate peace at any cost." He asserted, "There is an aggressor and there is a victim. Ukraine is the victim."
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