Portugal’s foreign minister said on Friday if China supplies Russia with arms, Portugal and the European Union will have to review relations with Beijing.
“It would be a big mistake and would also obviously change the way it relates to Europe, and Portugal would naturally be affected by this process,” João Gomes Cravinho told Portuguese news agency Lusa.
“We would have to review our ties with China. We would have to review the meaning of our political and economic relationship with China” he said.
However, he also conceded that Beijing was in “a difficult situation” and “not exactly pleased with this warlike attitude of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”
He added: “I don’t think China will move towards military support for Russia.”
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The foreign minister expressed doubts on the credibility of a peace plan presented by Beijing, given the strong ties between it and Moscow, but agreed that the Chinese authorities had emphasised several “important principles,” such as territorial integrity, respect for the United Nations Charter and the peaceful resolution of international disputes.
“Let’s see if it is a proposal that manages to attract the attention of President Putin,” he said.
Cravinho was speaking on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February last year.
