Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy will fly into Dublin Airport this evening, beginning his first official visit to Ireland before a day of engagements tomorrow.
Mr Zelenskiy will arrive in Dublin at a “pivotal” moment for his country, with Ukrainian negotiators in Washington to discuss a possible peace deal and US envoy Steve Witkoff due in Moscow to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin tomorrow. Mr Zelenskiy is in Paris today meeting the French President Emmanuel Macron.
Mr Zelenskiy will pay a courtesy call to President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin tomorrow morning before travelling to Government Buildings for meetings with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and a trade forum with Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris and Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee.
There will be a press conference at Government Buildings before Mr Zelenskiy is expected to deliver an address to a joint sitting of the Dáil and Seanad.
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Mr Zelenskiy is likely to meet with representatives of the Ukrainian community in Ireland during the visit. More than 120,000 Ukrainians have been granted permission to stay in Ireland since the Russian invasion of their country in 2022. It is estimated that about 80,000 remain in the country.
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Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Martin said he has met with Mr Zelenskiy many times, including in Kyiv, but added, “I particularly look forward to greeting him on this first official visit of a Ukrainian President to Ireland.”
He said the president’s visit “comes at a critical time for Ukraine and Europe, with efforts to bring just and lasting peace to Ukraine ongoing”.
“I look forward to discussing with President Zelenskiy the ways in which Ireland can support these efforts and how we can ensure that Ukraine comes to the negotiating table in as strong a position as possible.”
Mr Zelenskiy addressed the Dáil by video-link in April 2022 in the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion.
Security will be tight for the visit, and there is expected to be traffic disruption in central Dublin with the closure of streets around Leinster House.
The Irish Aviation Authority has declared a “no drone zone” over Dublin at the request of the Department of Justice, citing “national security reasons”.
Meanwhile, EU defence ministers are meeting in Brussels today amid continuing divisions about an EU funding deal for Ukraine to enable it to continue fighting next year. There are proposals to use the proceeds of seized Russian assets as a loan to Ukraine, but some member states, notably Belgium, remain opposed to the plan. Arriving at the meeting in Brussels this morning, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said this week could be “pivotal” for diplomacy on Ukraine.
But Mr Zelenskiy is also under pressure at home, after the resignation of a key aide, Andriy Yermak, last week after his home was searched as part of a corruption investigation.
[ Ukraine’s Zelenskiy to visit Ireland amid ongoing efforts to end war with RussiaOpens in new window ]
