Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 to 29, inclusive, together.

We have condemned the war since the start as immoral and unjustifiable, and rightly so, but the evidence emerging at the weekend of horrific crimes against civilians in regions north of Kyiv is especially and profoundly shocking. Such unspeakable deeds cannot go unanswered and those responsible must be held to account.

I spoke to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, by phone on 16 March during my visit to the United States. I found him to be calm, focused and determined. He expressed his gratitude to the Government and people of Ireland for their support for Ukraine, including in welcoming those fleeing the war; for our support for Ukraine's application for EU membership; and for our support for the most robust and severe sanctions against Russia. He also expressed his condolences on the death of Pierre Zakrzewski, the Irish photojournalist killed in Ukraine alongside his colleague, Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova, on 14 March.

President Zelenskyy briefed me on the very difficult situation on the ground in Ukraine, which has included indiscriminate attacks on civilians. He also made the case for a no-fly zone over Ukraine. I assured him of Ireland's ongoing solidarity with his Government and people in the face of the brutal and illegal war they are suffering.

President Zelenskyy also engaged remotely with the meeting of the European Council that I attended in Brussels on 24 March. He set out the desperate circumstances facing civilians in Ukraine and called for the EU to exercise the maximum pressure on Russia to end its appalling war.

I welcome that President Zelenskyy has accepted the Ceann Comhairle's invitation to address the joint Houses of the Oireachtas this week.

I also spoke with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, on 1 March, when he briefed me on the deteriorating humanitarian and security situation on the ground at that time. I conveyed the Government's and the Irish public's strong solidarity with Ukraine and its people, and outlined the steps we are taking as a country and as an EU member state to support Ukraine.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the work of the ambassador of Ukraine to Ireland, H.E. Larysa Gerasko, and her team, in the face of very difficult circumstances. I know that all of us in this House appreciate her ongoing efforts on behalf of the Ukrainian Government and people.

See this speech in context