Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has arrived in Kyiv on an official visit
The Irish Prime Minister, Micheál Martin, has arrived in Kyiv on an official visit. During his visit, he will hold a bilateral meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The parties plan to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine, support from the European Union during Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the EU, and the negotiation process regarding Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. A separate topic will be Ireland’s continued support for Ukraine.
As part of the visit, Micheál Martin will also meet with Ukraine’s newly appointed Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi and the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk.
The programme for the visit includes a tour of areas of Kyiv that have been affected by the recent Russian attacks. The Irish Prime Minister will also hold meetings with representatives of international and charitable organisations assisting those affected by the attacks, as well as with people receiving financial support from Ireland.
In addition, the Irish Prime Minister will meet with representatives of the Irish community in Kyiv.
Ahead of the visit, Micheál Martin stated that his trip is intended to reaffirm the unwavering solidarity of the European Union and Ireland with the government and people of Ukraine.
“After more than four years of brutal aggression against its people and territory, Ukraine continues to demonstrate extraordinary resilience and courage in the face of relentless Russian attacks, which have intensified in Kyiv and other parts of the country in recent weeks,” Martin said.
He emphasised that he strongly condemns these actions, which have resulted in significant loss of life and threaten further humanitarian crises, and called on Russia to end the war.
According to Martin, support for Ukraine is one of the main priorities of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU. He also confirmed his intention to help advance negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, to work towards building consensus among partners on further support for Ukraine, and to increase pressure on Russia, in particular by introducing new targeted sanctions.
During talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the parties also plan to discuss the implementation of the ‘Ireland–Ukraine Partnership Roadmap to 2030’, signed during the Ukrainian President’s visit to Ireland last December.
Martin noted that he would discuss opportunities for further support for Ukraine, supplementing the bilateral aid of €500 million already provided, which was directed towards humanitarian needs, non-lethal military aid and support for critical energy infrastructure.
Ireland assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July 2026. It will last until 31 December 2026.
