Irish Prime Minister to visit Ukraine in coming weeks

The Irish prime minister announced his intention to visit Ukraine on Saturday, July 13, when he met with the Ukrainian president at Shannon Airport in Ireland. Harris noted that they had a very good meeting.

"I'm very pleased to welcome him to Ireland. It gave me an opportunity to express the condolences of the people of Ireland to the people of Ukraine, to the president of Ukraine, for the loss of life during this brutal and illegal war of Russian aggression," the Irish prime minister said.

According to Harris, he is "absolutely horrified" that Russia is actively abducting Ukrainian children and taking them to the occupied territory. And he does not believe that the world knows enough about this.

When asked if he and Zelenskyy had spoken about it, he said that the issue did not come up. He emphasized that the changes were made to be able to support those who need Ireland's support for as long as they need it.

He also noted that everyone wants to achieve a situation where the war in Ukraine is over and the Ukrainian people can return home. He added that Ukrainians will be welcomed and accepted in Ireland for as long as necessary.

Harris added that his country wants Ukraine to become a member of the EU.

"We want Ukraine to become a member of the EU, and if that happens, people from Ukraine will have the same freedom of movement as any other EU citizen," the Irish prime minister said.

Zelenskyy's visit to Ireland

On his way from the United States to Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy flew to Ireland to meet with Prime Minister Simon Harris.

According to the president, during the meeting, the parties discussed support for Ukraine, and continued cooperation in demining and cybersecurity. Zelenskyy and Harris also talked about the next steps to implement the decisions of the Peace Summit and discussed the efforts needed to increase the world's attention to the issue of children illegally deported by Russia.