U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Portugal this coming week as part of a European tour from October 5–8, with Lisbon as the final stop. Secretary Rubio is expected in Lisbon on Thursday, October 8, following visits to Reykjavík, Iceland, and Athens, Greece.
He is expected to meet with Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel, although a complete official schedule has not yet been released.
According to the U.S. Department of State, Rubio’s meetings in Portugal will focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in defense, economic affairs and technology. While in Greece, Rubio will lead the U.S. delegation to the Sixth U.S.–Greece Strategic Dialogue before continuing to Portugal.
The visit comes at a particularly significant moment for U.S.–Portugal defense relations. Portuguese prosecutors recently opened an investigation, requested by members of Portugal’s Left Bloc Party, into the legality of the Portuguese government’s authorization for U.S. use of Lajes Air Base on Terceira Island, Azores, during the Iran conflict.
There has been no official confirmation that Lajes Air Base will be specifically discussed during Rubio’s meetings in Lisbon. However, defense cooperation is explicitly included on the agenda announced by Washington, making the controversy surrounding Lajes a relevant topic.
The Lajes Air Base has played a strategic role in U.S.–Portuguese relations for decades, providing an important mid-Atlantic location for American and NATO military operations and transatlantic movements. Foreign Minister Rangel has defended the government’s authorization, saying Portugal received assurances from Washington that the operations were defensive, necessary, and proportionate.
Rubio’s visit will meet some domestic opposition. The Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation (CPPC) has announced protests in Lisbon for October 7, criticizing U.S. foreign policy and opposing the Secretary of State’s visit. The demonstrations are not expected to affevt the official program.
Portugal and the United States maintain one of America’s oldest diplomatic relationships, with close political, military and economic ties. The relationship has particular significance for the Azores, where the U.S. military presence at Lajes has been a central component of bilateral defense cooperation.
Marco Rubio, 55, has served as U.S. Secretary of State since January 2025. Born in Miami, Florida, in 1971 to Cuban immigrant parents, Rubio previously represented Florida in the United States Senate from 2011 until 2025, where he became a prominent voice on foreign affairs, national security and U.S. policy toward Latin America and China. A Republican, he sought his party’s presidential nomination in 2016. President Donald Trump nominated Rubio to lead the State Department following the 2024 presidential election, and the Senate confirmed him unanimously on January 20, 2025. As Secretary of State, Rubio is the chief diplomatic representative of the United States and one of the principal architects of the Trump administration’s foreign policy.
PAJ/Staff/This developing story will be updated
