Harris set to announce €36m aid as he visits Kyiv
Taoiseach will meet Zelensky
Taoiseach Simon Harris is to announce millions of euro in extra aid for Ukraine in a visit to the country today.
The €43m in total funding will include €36m through Irish aid funding and €7m through European Investment Bank projects.
Mr Harris will meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv and will visit areas that have been heavily damaged by Russian attacks since the invasion in February 2022.
He will also meet with international groups and charities working to help displaced, injured, bereaved and traumatised Ukrainian citizens.
The Taoiseach and Mr Zelensky will sign an agreement between Ireland and Ukraine on support and co-operation between the two countries.
The memorandum of understanding was first discussed when the two men met in July.
Officials in Kyiv and Dublin have worked on the agreement in recent months and there will be a formal ceremony later today.
They will discuss Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, EU support for Ukraine and its path towards EU membership, as well as bilateral links and Ireland’s bilateral assistance in support of Ukraine.
Mr Harris also said he is “very eager” Ireland does more for de-mining in Ukraine.
“I’m conscious that we’re already playing an important role in relation to de-mining, and very eager that Ireland continues to do more in that space – I want to discuss that with the president too,” he said.
The two leaders last met at Shannon Airport in July, when Mr Zelensky stopped over on his way back to Ukraine after a Nato summit in Washington.
Speaking before his visit to Kyiv, the Taoiseach extended his condolences after at least 49 people were killed in a Russian attack on the central Ukrainian town of Poltava.
“Russia’s missile strike and the killing of scores of people in Poltava is a grim and horrific reminder of the threat Ukraine is facing every day,” Mr Harris said.
“We express our outrage and offer our sympathy to the families of those who have died.
“I am very pleased to be in Ukraine to hear at first hand from President Zelensky on the situation on the ground and to see for myself the impact is having on the lives of ordinary Ukrainians.”
The Taoiseach said signing the agreement between Ireland and Ukraine will make it “clear” that “Ukraine’s values are our values and we will stand with the brave people of Ukraine for as long as it takes”.
Mr Harris will also meet the Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal during the visit.
Ireland has taken in over 100,000 refugees since the start of the war. Despite having one of the most generous welfare and accommodation offerings to migrants at first, the Government has cut back benefits for Ukrainians in recent months.
The Cabinet has been told that the agreement between the countries emphasises Ireland’s solidarity with Ukraine and its citizens, and supports its right to defend itself against Russia under the UN Charter.
The agreement is “fully aligned” with Ireland’s policy of military neutrality, Foreign Affairs Minister and Tánaiste Micheál Martin told his cabinet colleagues.
The agreement also states that any Irish assistance for Ukraine will be non-lethal. Japan also provides only non-lethal assistance to Ukraine.