Taoseach | Recent visit to Paris and conversation with President Zelenskyy

QUESTION

To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent visit to Paris.                                                                                      
To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent conversation with President Zelenskyy.
                                                                                         

REPLY

The former Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar travelled to Paris on 26 February to attend a high-level meeting on assistance to Ukraine convened by President Macron and attended by leaders and representatives from EU Member States and other like-minded countries, including the US, UK, and Canada.

The meeting in Paris was a valuable opportunity for Ukraine’s friends and allies to come together to assess Ukraine’s needs, both military and civilian, and to ensure that our collective effort in support of it are as comprehensive and effective as possible.

I spoke to President Zelenskyy by phone on 10 April, and I reiterated to him Ireland’s unswerving commitment to Ukraine’s freedom, democracy, and territorial integrity. I also said that Ireland would continue to advocate strongly for Ukraine’s membership of the European Union and offered my support to President Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula.

He told me of the severe pressure that Ukraine is under as Russia continues to attack cities such as Kharkiv and vital civilian infrastructure, including energy and heat plants.

He also emphasised Ukraine’s wish to see formal negotiations with the EU on its future membership open under the Belgian Presidency. I said that I supported that goal.

Following on from my conversation with President Zelenskyy, I also spoke with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, yesterday. We discussed how best partners can support Ukraine with its immediate needs in terms of energy infrastructure, which has been a target of Russian missiles in recent weeks, and we looked ahead to the reconstruction of Ukraine.

At the Special European Council in Brussels on 17/18 April, I called for these negotiations to begin as soon as possible. This will be an important message to the people of Ukraine, and to President Putin, that Ukraine belongs in our EU family.

From my meetings with European Leaders during my recent visits to Brussels and Warsaw, and from the discussions at the Special European Council, it is clear that colleagues are very concerned about the current situation in Ukraine.

It has very significant military needs if it is to prevent Russia making further advances into its territory. It also urgently needs further air defence systems to help protect cities other than Kyiv.

I therefore very much welcome the recent decision in the US to confirm $61 billion in aid for Ukraine.

The agreement by the EU in February to provide €50bn in grants and loans to Ukraine in the period to 2027, and the decision in March to provide an additional €5bn under the European Peace Facility, are both important sources of our continuing support and a signal of our commitment to continuing to stand with Ukraine.

Ireland’s share under the EPF uplift amounts to more than €125 million. We will continue providing non-lethal assistance to Ukraine, including in areas where we have expertise, such as demining and cyber. We need to ensure that we provide Ukraine with what it needs as urgently as possible.

Unfortunately, Ukraine’s demining needs will be considerable for the foreseeable future. The Defence Forces have already delivered a number of training modules, including in demining and combat casualty care, together with EU Member State partners.