Taoiseach meets Zelenskiy ahead of Trump engagement

By Cillian Sherlock and Cate McCurry, PA

US president Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine are “very noble”, the Taoiseach has said after meeting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin met Mr Zelenskiy at Shannon Airport on Thursday, as the Ukrainian leader stopped to refuel ahead of a visit to Washington DC.

Mr Zelenskiy is expected to sign a deal with Mr Trump on sharing Ukraine’s rare earth mineral resources as part of repayments for assistance paid following Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country three years ago.

Meanwhile, ties between the European Union and the US appeared under strain after Mr Trump said security guarantees for Ukraine would be left to Europe.

There were warm exchanges as Mr Martin met Mr Zelenskiy as he disembarked his presidential aircraft before heading to a meeting room at the airport.

Mr Zelenskiy told Mr Martin: “I’m happy to see you and happy that we have have an opportunity to speak.”

He also thanked Mr Martin for ing the recent Ukraine summit on the three-year anniversary of the war and added: “We are thankful to your team and your people.”

At that summit, Mr Martin said Ireland will increase financial contributions towards Ukraine “on all fronts”.

As part of a policy of military neutrality, Ireland does not provide what it characterises as lethal aid to Ukraine, including weapons.

However, the state has provided hundreds of millions of euros in non-lethal military assistance as well as stabilisation and humanitarian s.

Ireland has also welcomed more than 100,000 Ukrainians under the EU temporary protection directive.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr Martin described the engagement as “warm” and said they had discussed a range of issues, including working towards a “sustainable and durable” peace settlement in Ukraine.

The Taoiseach said Mr Zelenskiy was very thankful to the people of Ireland.

“We discussed by Ireland, financially, to Ukraine. I explained that our commitments under the European Peace Facility have been frustrated by Hungary’s decision to veto the deployment of the European Peace Facility fund, set up by the European Union.

“We are looking at alternative approaches to give financial aid to Ukraine and a number of ideas came up during the meeting.

“In particular, they have a comprehensive programme of feeding their children in schools, which is limited, and we’ve undertaken to that initiative, and will work with Ukrainian officials in that regard.”

Mr Martin also said he expressed Ireland’s for accelerated EU hip for Ukraine.

The Taoiseach said that he told Mr Zelenskiy that Ireland is open to sending peacekeepers to the country following the conclusion of the conflict.

“He said there’s time for that yet, but he was appreciative of that.”

He said that Ukraine does not “expect any partners to be involved in any conflict situation”.

Mr Martin described the Ukrainian president as “very focused” on having Europe centrally involved in a potential peace settlement and added: “But obviously a lot will be determined by the nature of agreements if they happen, if a ceasefire happens, how it happens, the nature of it, the modality of it, and so on.

“But he’s aware of our position on that, which he thinks is important.”

The Taoiseach said Mr Zelenskiy made a number of requests around Ireland financially ing drone technology to help evacuate injured soldiers from the frontline, humanitarian assistance and food programmes, and other similar areas.

Asked about Mr Zelenskiy’s onward travel, Mr Martin said: “I think he’s very clear in his own head in of where he wants to take this, and he wants to engage, obviously, particularly with President Trump.

“He values very much the he has received from the United States, a very strong partner to Ukraine.

“I think the engagement, the fact that he’s visiting Washington, is good in itself.”

From his own perspective, the Taoiseach said: “President Trump is a president who has said peace is his objective.

“He wants to end these terrible wars and I think that’s a very noble objective in itself.

“We have to work through the details, though, and that’s where a lot of discussion is on at the moment, within Europe.

“I think President Zelenskiy was appreciative again of the fact that Europe is now very clearly saying that it will be taking on more of the responsibility for security guarantees to Ukraine into the future, and for deterrence into the future, which he appreciates.

“The United Kingdom Government has made that clear as well.”

Asked about s for Ukrainians living in Ireland when the European temporary protection directive ends, Mr Martin said the system “may not change”.

He added: “I think we’ve been fair to Ukrainians families in Ireland.

“We will work with the ambassador here and with Ukrainian representatives. We don’t want to do anything precipitatively.

“We’re conscious people have children in school and so forth.

“There will be a further meeting of the cabinet subcommittee, on migration more generally, but obviously but obviously that will deal also with the Ukrainian situation.”

He added: “There won’t be any immediate, sort of, cliff edge.”