Irish Prime Minister arrives in Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy
Kyiv • UNN
Simon Harris arrives in Kyiv to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They will sign a memorandum of understanding and discuss support for Ukraine, and Ireland will announce a new aid package of €36 million.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris has arrived in Kyiv on a visit, reports RTE, UNN writes.
Details
"Mr. Harris is in Kyiv for a bilateral meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy," the statement reads.
It is stated that Harris initially decided to visit the Kyiv region, where, in particular, he inspected apartment buildings and a playground damaged by the bombing in early 2022.
As noted, Harris and Zelensky will discuss Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, the EU's support for Ukraine, and Ukraine's application to join the bloc.
"Mr. Harris and Mr. Zelensky will jointly sign a memorandum of understanding on a new bilateral agreement between Ireland and Ukraine. The agreement... will express Ireland's solidarity with Ukraine and its right to defend itself against Russia's illegal invasion," the statement said.
The agreement, as noted, "is consistent with Ireland's status as a neutral country and specifies that any future assistance provided to Ukraine will remain non-lethal.
The Irish Prime Minister will also reportedly announce a new €36 million funding package from Irish Aid for partner organizations.
With the latest funding announcement, Ireland's total funding to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 will exceed 380 million euros, the newspaper writes.
It is also noted that Harris will meet with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, as well as with high-ranking representatives of humanitarian agencies to discuss the return of illegally displaced Ukrainian children from Russia and Belarus.
This is Harris's first visit to Ukraine since he was elected to office last April.
