"Greenland is an autonomous region of Denmark; it enjoys broad autonomy, but its head of state is the Queen of Denmark. And the destiny of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and the Danish people. I would even remind you that Denmark is a member country of the European Union and a founding country of NATO, along with Portugal. And, therefore, what is expected is that international law is always respected and that allies behave as allies," he said on the sidelines of a visit to the Porto branch of the Armed Forces Hospital.

When questioned about the statements of the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, who asked the United States to stop the threats, Nuno Melo repeated his response regarding the behaviour expected of allied countries.

“What is expected, because it is normal, is that the future of Greenland is in the hands of its people and the Danish people. Denmark is a member country of the European Union and a founding member of NATO, alongside Portugal,” he insisted.

Regarding the situation of the Portuguese in Venezuela, after the US attack in the early hours of Saturday to detain President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, the minister stated that he hoped “that the Portuguese State will not have to do anything.”

What we desire is that, taking into account the current geopolitical context and the known situation in Venezuela, we can move towards democracy, bearing in mind that Nicolás Maduro was not recognized, from the point of view of international legitimacy, as the full representative of Venezuela,” he added.

The Minister of Defence also noted that the Commissioner “will visit several Armed Forces institutions, also related to NATO.”

“I would say it is a normal visit in a sensitive context,” Nuno Melo summarized.

The press release to which Lusa had access states that the Commissioner will meet with Nuno Melo to discuss the readiness of European defence, the implementation of the Security for Europe Action Instrument (SAFE) and the strengthening of support for Ukraine.

Andrius Kubilius will then participate in the Diplomatic Seminar 2026 organized by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel. Together with Minister Nuno Melo and NATO Deputy Secretary-General Radmila Shekerinska, the Commissioner will address the future of European defence, the statement further details.