Taoiseach Leo Varadkar pledged further assistance to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, during a meeting on the fringes of the European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Mr Zelenskiy addressed EU leaders at the summit and then conducted a series of smaller meetings with groups of EU leaders. Mr Varadkar met the Ukrainian president along with the leaders of Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Portugal.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting this evening, Mr Varadkar said that he had “reaffirmed Ireland’s support for Ukraine… We will stand with them for as long as it takes.”
He said that Ireland would support Ukraine in its bid for EU membership as well as through financial support, humanitarian efforts and “of course non-lethal military aid as well”.
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He said that Mr Zelenskiy “had a list of things that he’d like us to provide… some of it is weapons which of course we can’t provide but most of it is non-lethal equipment and I’ll be taking that home to Ireland tomorrow and be talking to the Defence Forces and the Tánaiste, and we’ll see what we can do.”
Mr Varadkar said the Ukrainian requests also included “rations, oil, engineering equipment, medical kits, body armour”.
[ Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to meet Ukrainian president Zelenskiy in BrusselsOpens in new window ]
“I think we can do more,” he said.
Mr Varadkar said that Mr Zelenskiy was aware Ireland was accepting more refugees per capita than elsewhere in western Europe.
He also said there were no plans to reduce support for Ukrainian refugees.
“We don’t at the moment have any plans to cut support for Ukrainians. And, you know, I’m not sure how that would work at the moment,” he said.
“You know, we do want to obviously encourage Ukrainians who can enter the workforce to become self-sufficient. To take up employment, to provide for their own accommodation and their own needs.
“But that’s not going to be possible in all cases. A lot of Ukrainians who are in Ireland barely speak English, some are women who have a number of children to look after and it’s not practical for them to become self-supporting. And you know, I can’t imagine a situation where we would just cut them off.”
Mr Zelenskiy’s visit was a rare trip outside Ukraine since the invasion began, aimed at securing additional support to help his country continue to rebuff the Russian invasion.
Following stops in London and Paris, his visit to Brussels was focused on urging progress on Ukraine’s EU memberhip application.
In addition, Kyiv is keen for western partners to speed up deliveries of promised weapons, as it braces for a potential renewed offensive by Russia in the spring.
[ Only Ukraine victory will guarantee European values, Zelenskiy tells MEPsOpens in new window ]
[ How solid is American support for Ukraine?Opens in new window ]
Arriving at the summit, the leader of staunch Ukraine ally Estonia suggested the outcome of the invasion would have been different if western countries had at the outset offered the military support they have now pledged.
“With every delay, with every hesitation, the price goes up,” Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas said.
Mr Zelenskiy said he believed his visit to London “achieved results” and welcomed the suggestion that some countries would be willing to send Ukraine fighter jets.
But he also made a point saying that, aside from military aid, non-lethal support for Ukraine had been vitally important, and expressed deep thanks to ordinary citizens of the EU whose actions had been vital in helping his country keep going.
“The European Union, its leadership, and indeed the society of the European Union, deserve huge gratitude from us,” he said, explaining that the help provided to fleeing refugees and the EU’s economic assistance “all supported our resilience”.
“One of the reasons why I’m here is I have to express thanks,” Mr Zelenskiy said.
