The president of Portugal needs some lessons in diplomacy.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who represents the Social Democratic Party, made the comments during a recent speech.
“The supreme leader of the world’s largest superpower is objectively a Soviet or Russian asset,” he declared.
“I am saying that, objectively, the new U.S. leadership has strategically favored the Russian Federation,” he continued.
De Sousa added that the U.S. administration “gone from being allies on one side to acting as referees in the conflict,” arguing that Trump only wishes to negotiate “with one of the teams.”
The White House is currently working with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin
The President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has accused today President Donald Trump of being a “Soviet… Russian asset”.
Most of the EU countries’ leaders can’t understand how harmful it is for each of these countries to keep squandering money on a lost war. pic.twitter.com/T0Jh0EhSPM
— Alexandre Guerreiro (@ATGuerreiro) August 27, 2025
Although the Portuguese presidency is mostly ceremonial, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has often used the office to inject himself into international debates.
A longtime television pundit turned politician, he has been in office since 2016. His reputation has suffered after being embroiled in various corruption scandals.
In Portugal, real executive power rests with the government led by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro of the Democratic Alliance (PSD-CDS coalition).
Since June 2025, he has headed a minority cabinet after winning the most seats in the May snap election but falling short of a majority. Montenegro and its ministers, not the president, direct day-to-day policy and foreign affairs.
However, the only real conservative force in Portugal comes from the Chega party, which is now the country’s main opposition. They control 60 out of the 230 seats in the country’s National Assembly.
The party has campaigned on a variety of conservative proposals, including hard-line law-and-order policies, strict immigration limits, and sweeping constitutional reform.
They have also called for life sentences and chemical castration for offenders, drastic cuts to government spending, and embracing a policy of free-market economics.
