Irish PM arrives in Kyiv for talks with Zelensky

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris arrived in Kyiv on Sept. 4 for a bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The two leaders are expected to sign a support and cooperation agreement between Ireland and Ukraine, the Irish government said in a press release.

The visit comes the same day when Russia launched a deadly attack against the western city of Lviv, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens more, including children. Moscow has intensified aerial strikes against Ukrainian cities over the past week.

Harris and Zelensky "will discuss Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, EU support for Ukraine and its path towards EU membership, as well as bilateral links and Ireland's bilateral assistance in support of Ukraine."

Harris arrived in Ukraine on an overnight train. Upon his arrival, he paid a visit to areas damaged during the early phase of Russia's full-scale invasion of Kyiv Oblast, accompanied by Governor Ruslan Kravchenko.

Harris visited Hostomel, a site of heavy battles in 2022, to see the results of the Irish support for reconstruction efforts, the RTE public broadcaster reported.

During the visit, Ireland announced a new package of support worth 36 million euros ($40 million) for "Ukraine and its neighbors" to provide "essential humanitarian assistance, support rehabilitation and eventual reconstruction, and contribute to Ukraine's longer-term goals, including peace, stability, and political aspirations."

Since the outbreak of the full-scale war, Dublin's funding to Ukraine has amounted to over 380 million euros ($420 million), the Irish government said.

This included humanitarian, economic, and non-lethal defense support but no lethal aid due to Ireland's long-standing military neutrality policy.

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The Kyiv IndependentChris York