Taoiseach Micheal Martin has suggested that Irish doctors and nurses will be urged to volunteer to treat Ukrainians who have been wounded in the war.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mr Martin also said it will be a “people of Ireland response” when asked if Irish people will be asked to open their doors to Ukrainian refugees.
He said: “I think it would have to be a people of Ireland response as well as a government response, but a will will be very challenging.
"This is the largest war on the continent of Europe since World War II.
“I'm not sure that people yet fully grasped the enormity of what is happening, what potentially can happen in terms of the repercussions for the continent of Europe. “There will be that migration impact, there will be an economic impact in terms of inflation."
Mr Martin also warned that the cost of food is likely to rise as a direct result of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Mr Martin said that Government departments are currently working through the logistics of taking significant numbers of Ukrainians into the country.
He said this will involve the leasing of hotels and said the public may also have a role to play.
He added: “It will be at a scale and at a level that we will require volunteers, people in civil society, to work with us to help people when they come here."
