Portugal won’t buy Lockheed Martin F-35s from the United States though the country’s air force gave a go-ahead for that. The country now wants to take into account other situational aspects and President Donald Trump is one of them. Citing Portuguese media Publico, Politico reported that outgoing defence minister Nuno Melo shot down the proposal of buying F-35s from the US because of Donald Trump. “We cannot ignore the geopolitical environment in our choices. The recent position of the United States, in the context of NATO … must make us think about the best options, because the predictability of our allies is a greater asset to take into account,” Melo said.
“The world has changed … and this ally of ours … could bring limitations to use, maintenance, components, and everything that has to do with ensuring that aircraft will be operational and used in all types of scenarios,” Melo said.
“There are several options that must be considered, particularly in the context of European production.”
The decision comes as there are fears that the US government could block access to software updates and spare parts needed to make the F-35s fully operational — given the unpredictability of the Trump administration.
Purtugal’s second-guessing of the US is a result of Trump’s volatile relationship with Nato allies. In his meeting with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte yesterday, Trump reiterated that the US would annexe Greenland. “I’m sitting with a man that could be very instrumental — you know, Mark, we need that for international security,” Trump said pointing to the Nato chief. Rutte became awkward and insisted that he did not “want to drag NATO into” a conversation about the US acquiring Greenland.
Greenland is an autonomous territory with its own government but is part of Denmark, another Nato ally. Shortly after Trump’s reassertion that he would take Greenland, probably new prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Greenland does not want to become a part of America or Denmark. “We want to be Greenlanders, and we want our own independence in the future,” Nielsen said.
