Irish PM arrives in Ukraine
Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris has arrived in Kyiv for a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
An RTE journalist posted a video of the Irish Taoiseach at a Kyiv railway station.
The two leaders will discuss Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, the EU's support for Ukraine, and Kyiv's application to join the European Union.
Taoiseach Simon Harris arrived in Kyiv Oblast this morning. He will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later today and officials from humanitarian aid organisations – @rtenews pic.twitter.com/j10hiCc0gA
Advertisement:– Liam Nolan (@liamnolanRTE) September 4, 2024
The Irish Taoiseach's visit comes in the wake of yesterday's Russian missile attack on Poltava, which claimed the lives of at least 53 people.
Speaking ahead of today's visit, Harris said: "Russia's military strike and killing of scores of people in Poltava on Tuesday is a grim and horrific reminder of the threat Ukraine is facing every day. We express our outrage and sympathy to the families of those who have died."
Harris and Zelenskyy will jointly sign a memorandum of understanding on a new bilateral agreement between Ireland and Ukraine.
The agreement, which was discussed by the Irish government yesterday, will express Ireland's solidarity with Ukraine and its right to defend itself against Russia's illegal invasion.
The agreement, which was first discussed between the two governments during a meeting between Harris and Zelenskyy at Shannon Airport in July, is consistent with Ireland's status as a neutral country and stipulates that any future assistance provided to Ukraine will remain non-lethal.
On Thursday, 22 August, Ukraine and Ireland held the latest round of negotiations on a bilateral agreement.
To date, Ukraine has signed 25 such bilateral documents and the Ukraine Compact, a multilateral document containing commitments to support Ukraine.