Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy. Ireland’s support for the Government and people of Ukraine is steadfast. This remains a key focus of my Department’s engagements with Ukrainian interlocutors at political level; with the Ukrainian Embassy in Dublin through the Irish Embassy in Kyiv; and at EU and international level, where I continue to raise Ukraine as a matter of priority.

The Ukrainian foreign minister regularly joins the monthly meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council to provide an update on the situation in his country. On 20 May, the council discussed how the EU could step up its military support for Ukraine, play a constructive role in any potential peace process and contribute to security guarantees as part of a peace agreement. This followed an informal meeting of the council in Lviv on 9 May, as well as a ministerial meeting of the core group for the establishment of a special tribunal to ensure that those responsible for Russia’s aggression face justice. The Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, attended these meetings as a further signal of the Government’s steadfast support for Ukraine. In April, the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, visited Odesa to open an underground school shelter co-funded by Ireland and then travelled on to Kyiv for meetings with Ukrainian interlocutors focused on Ireland's commitment to supporting Ukraine, including on its EU accession path. On 6 May, the Ukrainian foreign minister joined the Global Ireland Summit virtually, where he provided an update on the latest developments and current needs and expressed appreciation for support offered by Ireland to Ukraine to date. Across these engagements, Ireland has underlined our commitment to working with Ukraine and our partners to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace that protects Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity in line with the principles of the UN Charter, and provides the necessary security guarantees so that we do not see a return to Russian aggression in the future.

Ireland has provided extensive political, humanitarian, non-lethal military and economic support to Ukraine since February 2022. This includes €138 million in humanitarian assistance and stabilisation supports. Recently, Ireland committed €100 million bilaterally in non-lethal military support to Ukraine.

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