Taoiseach Micheál Martin is on his way to Ukraine, where he is expected to meet president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Government sources confirmed on Tuesday.
Mr Martin was in Poland on Tuesday from where he was due to travel to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. He was not present Dáil on Tuesday for Leaders’ Questions and is not expected to be present for Dáil business for the remainder of the week.
[ Sweden and Finland to complete Nato membership in ‘months’Opens in new window ]
Mr Martin was invited to Ukraine last month by Mr Zelenskiy, who also singled him out for thanks after the European Council approved Ukraine’s bid for candidate status at a recent summit in Brussels. The Taoiseach’s office said then that he was keeping an invitation to visit Ukraine under review, though sources said Mr Martin was keen for an opportunity to do so.
Precise details of the visit are not being released for security reasons, but it was expected that Mr Martin would travel to Kyiv over land from Poland on Tuesday night or Wednesday.
Opinion: As Pope Francis’s book Hope shows, defining what is autobiography isn’t always easy
Jack Horgan-Jones: Can Jim O’Callaghan live up to his brand as the law and order politician?
The New Nuclear Age by Ankit Panda: Could ‘growing loose talk’ lead to the ultimate disaster?
Pamela Anderson: ‘I felt like life was really like death for me’
Mr Martin was a strong early supporter of Ukraine’s bid for membership of the EU. He will become the latest in a series of western leaders to visit the Ukrainian capital since Russia’s invasion of the country in late February.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney visited Kyiv in April and Mr Zelenskiy has also addressed the Oireachtas by videolink, praising the Irish people’s support for his country.
