Varadkar makes unannounced trip to Ukraine

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has made an unannounced trip to Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy held what he called “fruitful” talks with An Taoiseach, thanking the people of Ireland for the ongoing assistance to 87,000 Ukrainian refugees.

In a tweet, the Ukrainian president said “today, we will hold important negotiations – security, political cooperation, justice for Ukraine and our economic cooperation.”

Zelenskyy said “although Ireland is a neutral country, this neutrality does not mean indifference, and this is very important. Thank you for all your support!”

The president said he was “very grateful” that Varadkar travelled to the massacre site in Bucha before their meeting, with Varadkar saying he had “seen with his own eyes” the consequences of Russian aggression.

Moschun, Horenka, Irpin, Moschun were among the sites visited by An Taoiseach, under heavy protection from the Ukrainian military and the Garda Emergency Response Unit.

He laid a wreath at Moschun, a site of a major battle in the early weeks of the war that prevented the fall of Kyiv.

An Taoiseach praised Zelenskyy for his “remarkable leadership” since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, and that he had come “face to face with the horror” of Russian actions.

He added that the world “needs to ensure that Ukraine succeeds in its war with Russia.”

RTÉ reports The Taoiseach will hold talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhall and the Speaker of the Ukrainian parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk later this afternoon, along with members of the Irish community in Kyiv.