Portugal's foreign minister Paulo Rangel backs transatlantic ties despite US divergences

Transatlantic ties under strain

Portugal's foreign minister, Paulo Rangel, told parliament on Thursday, 29 October, that Lisbon has to keep investing in the relationship with the United States even though the two countries are going through a more difficult moment. Speaking without naming the war in Iran or the threats Donald Trump has made against European countries, he acknowledged 'divergences' with Washington and said the relationship should be preserved over the medium term because it serves the country's lasting interests. He also referred to a 'terrible rise in fuel prices' and kept Portugal's position on overflights at Lajes unchanged. A few weeks earlier, Rangel had received US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Palácio das Necessidades, an occasion at which no divergences or tensions were acknowledged.

He put his position in a single sentence:

“It is fundamental that we invest in the transatlantic relationship.”

Venezuela transition

Rangel said he holds an 'optimistic expectation' about the political transition in Venezuela and pointed to the return to the country on Sunday, 25 October, of opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado as a positive sign. Earlier this year, US forces captured former president Nicolás Maduro, after which his former vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, assumed the interim presidency. Answering Liberal Initiative MP Rodrigo Saraiva during a parliamentary hearing on the 2027 State Budget (OE2027), Rangel cited the Spanish, Portuguese and several Eastern European transitions as examples of complex processes that can move forward and back. He said Portugal has tried to exert a positive influence so that events move toward the intended outcome, and that a positive trend is visible and should be encouraged.

Asked about the interim authorities, he offered this assessment:

“We are seeing some positive signs from the transition government.”

Freedom of navigation at Estoril

On Thursday, Rangel spoke at the Estoril Conferences 2026 in Carcavelos, Cascais, which run until Friday and are in their tenth edition under the theme 'Reignite Democracy'. He said Portugal will not give up defending freedom of navigation, especially in the Strait of Hormuz, and stressed that food security across the world, and in African countries in particular, is also at stake. He made the point directly:

“It is not only freedom of navigation that is at stake, but also the food security of the whole world and, in particular, of African countries.”

He listed the chokepoints under pressure: the Black Sea, where the war in Ukraine affects cargo ships carrying grain, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, where frequent attacks have forced ships to divert their routes. The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the oil consumed used to pass, has been closed since the start of the war in Iran. Rangel argued that international law has to be defended through the United Nations, while bilateral relations need more attention.

Pacific ties and bilateral diplomacy

Rangel described relations with Pacific countries as an important part of foreign policy, while stating that European integration and the transatlantic relationship remain Portugal's main objectives. He recalled long-standing ties with China, noted that the first embassy in Vietnam opened this year, and said an embassy in Malaysia is planned for 2028. Bilateral relations, he argued, are becoming more important as a way to face the great challenges the world has to meet. The Estoril Conferences focus on the theme 'Reignite Democracy' at a time of global conflict, disinformation and growing polarisation.