Marco Rubio promotes F-35 fighters and defends Azores base in Lisbon talks

Bilateral talks and economic ties

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel in Lisbon on Thursday during his first official visit to the country. Montenegro received Rubio around 12:00 at the São Bento official residence for photographic coverage before discussing trade, the Portuguese diaspora in the United States, and foreign policy matters involving Venezuela and the Middle East. At the Palácio das Necessidades, Rangel pointed to deepening bilateral commerce and investment. American tourists accounted for nearly 11% of Portugal's tourism revenue in 2025 and ranked third among foreign visitors during the first six months of 2026. Portuguese companies maintain operations in the American renewable energy, pharmaceutical, and automotive sectors, while US firms including Goldman Sachs, UPS, IBM, AWS, and Google have expanded investments in Portugal.

Defense spending and fighter jet pitch

Discussions between Rubio and Rangel focused extensively on NATO expenditure and military modernisation. Rangel confirmed that Portuguese defense spending reached 2% of gross domestic product in 2025, rising from nearly 1.6% within one year, with plans to reach a 5% target split between 3.5% for direct defense and 1.5% for defense-related investments. Rubio argued that pushing partners to invest in readiness does not constitute an antagonistic stance.

People sometimes see this call to invest more in defense as something hostile. It is not something hostile, on the contrary, what we are arguing is that NATO is important.

Rubio also promoted the American F-35 aircraft to replace Portugal's aging fleet of F-16 fighters, competing against two European options, including an unsolicited bid by Airbus for the Eurofighter Typhoon. Rangel stated that the Portuguese government is reviewing the F-35 proposal seriously, but added that any acquisition decision will depend strictly on national interest.

Lajes base controversy and security matters

The use of Lajes Field on the Azores island of Terceira by the United States military drew scrutiny during the 30-minute joint press conference. Responding to calls from Amnesty International urging Portugal to bar US operations connected to alleged war crimes, Rubio dismissed the non-governmental group and defended American actions.

Amnesty International is a fraud and is focused on an Iranian regime that murdered in cold blood tens of thousands of people in the streets of Tehran and in other parts of the country.

Rubio and Rangel affirmed that bilateral protocols govern American military activities at Lajes, and Rubio maintained that US personnel respect Portuguese sovereignty. The Portuguese Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an inquiry into operations at the facility. During the conference, Rubio also praised Portuguese authorities for counter-narcotics operations and addressed the security of undersea communications cables along with peace negotiations for Ukraine.

Domestic political reaction

The Portuguese Communist Party issued a statement rejecting Rubio's presence in the country, declaring that the American official was unwelcome in Portugal. The party accused the coalition government of Luís Montenegro of subordination to Washington, pointing specifically to the military use of Lajes Field for operations against Iran. Communist officials also criticised US foreign policy regarding Israel and military actions across the Middle East. Prior to arriving in Lisbon, Rubio visited Greece, where thousands of protesters demonstrated against his visit in Athens, alongside a scheduled stop in Iceland.