Apart from Ireland, Switzerland and Turkey also reportedly consider sending their troops to Ukraine. Russia opposed NATO peacekeepers in Ukraine, but the three nations are not members of the military alliance.
President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Ireland for its support of Ukrainians who fled Russia's full-scale invasion.
As part of the deal, Ireland has pledged an additional 128 million euros ($140 million) in non-lethal military support and at least 40 million euros ($44 million) in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
The two leaders are expected to sign a support and cooperation agreement between Ireland and Ukraine, the Irish government said in a press release.
"What we're particularly concerned about is a handful of states who are engaged in spying activities on sovereign soil with malign intent," said Michael McElgunn, assistant commissioner of Ireland's national police force.
Ireland is preparing the first steps towards creating a security agreement with Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 14, after meeting with Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris the day before.
Ireland's Prime Minister Simon Harris said he will visit Kyiv "in the coming weeks," after welcoming President Volodymyr Zelensky to his country in a brief stopover meeting on July 13.
Sources said that the U.S. was "aware" of the submarines' presence in the Irish Sea, but the U.K. Defense Ministry said it "doesn't comment on operations." The Irish Defense Department also declined to comment.
Ukraine will soon start negotiations on security guarantees with Ireland, and is ready to sign the bilateral agreements with Estonia and Lithuania, Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of the Presidential Office, said in an interview with Interfax Ukraine on June 21.
Ireland is not a member of NATO, and has one of the lowest rates of defense spending across the EU, at around .2% of its GDP.
