Lisbon, Sept. 11, 2025 (Lusa) – The Portuguese president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has said that the members of the European Union and NATO are united, but not warmongering, regarding the drone incursion reported by Poland.
"We are united, but we are not warmongers," said the head of state, in response to journalists, as he left the Portuguese Catholic University in Lisbon on Wednesday evening.
Asked if he fears an escalation of violence, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa replied that he hopes not and argued that at this point the correct behaviour is "European unity, unity in NATO and permanent solidarity of all members with all members".
"More than that, of course, cannot be done, because it depends a lot on what others do. There is no offensive initiative on the part of NATO, NATO members or the European Union. And so we are supportive, but we are not warmongers," he added.
According to the country's president, "public opinion needs to understand that this is a decisive moment".
In an allusion to Russia, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa maintained: "If those who caused the problem in Ukraine and perhaps provoked this climate of tension we are experiencing realise that, on our part, there is a capacity for affirmation, unity and solidarity, they will think twice, and perhaps it will be possible to overcome this moment, which is what we all desire."
"We want neither war nor tension, but we realise that to achieve this, we must show the strength of unity and solidarity," he stressed.
As for sanctions, the head of state said that "sanctions have already been approved or are ready for approval".
Polish authorities on Wednesday reported an incursion by Russian drones into their airspace and called for urgent consultation with NATO allies, invoking Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
Article 4 provides for consultations between the parties whenever one of the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) considers its territorial integrity, political independence or security to be threatened.
At the Portuguese Catholic University, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa took part in a conference paying tribute to the economist and former minister of finance Ernâni Lopes, who died in 2010 at the age of 68 and to whom he posthumously awarded the Order of Camões.
The former President of the European Commission and former prime minister José Manuel Durão Barroso, who chairs the Centre for European Studies at the Portuguese Catholic University, also spoke at the conference.
Halfway through his speech, Durão Barroso briefly spoke about the current challenges facing the European Union and considered that "Europe is at a crossroads" where it must "decide and act".
"Europe will fade away if it continues to make announcements that are not always followed by results, if Europe continues to depend on others, remaining a geopolitical adolescent instead of assuming its role as a responsible adult capable of ensuring its own defence," he said.
According to the former President of the European Commission, the European Union must "recognise that the world has fundamentally changed", that "Europe is no longer at the centre of that world", and that "a great scientific and technological revolution" is underway.
"There is a danger that we will lose ground to others, such as the United States and China itself," he warned.
Durão Barroso also argued that the European Union cannot "continue to resist the need to complete its internal market" or "continue to give in to the economic nationalism of some of its member states, including some of the largest member states".
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