UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked Ireland for its support amid the Russian invasion as he held talks with the Taoiseach in Kyiv.
Micheal Martin restated Irish solidarity with the people of Ukraine as he met Zelenskyy in the war-torn capital yesterday.
Earlier, the Irish premier witnessed the devastation inflicted by Russian forces as he visited conflict-scarred suburbs of Kyiv that have borne the brunt of the offensive on the city.
The tour included a sombre visit to the site of a mass grave in the grounds of a church in Bucha.
After holding a bilateral meeting with the Taoiseach, Zelenskyy posted a social media message expressing his gratitude.
“Thank you that in this defining time for our state Ireland is near. I am grateful that Ireland stands by our side in this crucial time for our country,” Zelenskyy said.
Ireland has taken in more than 36,000 Ukrainian refugees since Russia launched its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine at the end of February.
The Irish government has given €20 million in humanitarian support and assistance to the country, as well as health equipment and medical donations worth more than €4.5m.
Martin used his visit to restate Ireland’s full backing for continuing sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime and for Ukraine’s path to full EU membership, as well as Ireland’s commitment to work with the EU on the reconstruction of Ukraine.
As well as meeting with President Zelenskyy, the Taoiseach also held talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
“The people of Ireland stand with Ukraine and its people in the face of Russia’s immoral and unprovoked war of terror,” Martin said.
The Irish leader said the bombardment and attacks on civilians were “nothing short of war crimes”, adding that Russia must be held accountable.
“The spirit and resolve of the Ukrainian people has inspired us all, and Ireland will provide every support for Ukraine’s path to full EU membership, and continue to welcome and support civilians fleeing this war,” he added.
The Taoiseach’s day began with a trip to Borodyanka, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv that has suffered widespread damage under Russian shelling.
On the 30-minute drive from the railway station, the Taoiseach passed Hostomel airport, where his convoy stopped to observe a demolished bridge – the delegation also drove past bombed-out warehouses, shopping centres and petrol stations.
The scale of Ukrainian efforts to defend their capital was evident, with numerous bunkers and fortifications visible on the journey.
In Borodyanka, Martin met the town’s mayor and viewed apartment blocks gutted by fire during the Russian bombardment.
From there, he visited the site of a mass grave in Bucha, where a local cleric showed Martin the site and an associated exhibition of graphic photographs of exhumed bodies and pictures of civilians left dead on the streets of the suburb when Russian forces retreated.
The Irish delegation then travelled to nearby Irpin where the Taoiseach was shown badly-damaged apartment blocks that had been hit by Russian shells.
Afterwards, Martin said: “It is difficult to comprehend the devastation and inhumanity of Russia’s attacks on Irpin, Borodyanka and Bucha.
“[It is] clear how important it is for women and children to get to Ireland to escape trauma and brutality. We stand with Ukraine.”
Martin then visited a memorial commemorating the lives lost in the Holodomor famine in Ukraine in the early 1930s, placing a wreath and lighting a candle in an underground part of the memorial.
The Irish leader’s trip came two weeks after President Zelenskyy invited him to visit Ukraine – the first ever such visit to Ukraine by an Irish Taoiseach.
President Putin declared victory in seizing the eastern Ukrainian province of Luhansk on Monday, with his troops escalating their offensive in neighbouring Donetsk.
Martin previously warned that Russia may be leveraging its natural gas supplies to exert maximum pressure on Europe ahead of the winter.
