Senator Mark Daly and Seán Ó Fearghail TD with Ruslan Stefanchuk Twitter Twitter

CEANN COMHAIRLE SEÁN Ó Fearghail and Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, Senator Mark Daly, have met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of their trip to Kyiv.

Ó Fearghail and Daly made the trip to Kyiv following an invitation from the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk,  with the two men joining an international delegation to make the journey.

The two men addressed the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, with Stefanchuk saying that it was an “expression of courage and a show of solidarity” with Ukraine.

Since arriving in Kyiv, Ó Fearghail and Daly have met with Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Addressing Zelenskyy in their meeting, Ó Fearghail praised him and the Ukrainian parliament for their preservation following the invasion in late February.

“Let us be advocates for your great country,” said Ó Fearghail.

Ireland has supported Ukraine since the first days of the war. Grateful to 🇮🇪@SOFearghail_TD & @SenatorMarkDaly for visiting🇺🇦& supporting the sovereignty of 🇺🇦. It’s important to stand united&continue to fight together against tyranny” - Volodymyr Zelenskyy said @ZelenskyyUa pic.twitter.com/LJmMiDmDj5

— UKR Embassy in Ireland (@UKRinIRL) May 20, 2022

Zelenskyy addressed both the Dáil and the Seanad in early April, where he said that Russia was using “hunger as a weapon” and that Ireland had not remained neutral on the war unfolding in Ukraine.

In his address, he thanked Ireland for its support of Ukraine’s efforts to join the EU, saying it was only “a matter of time” before the two nations were together in the EU.

In a tweet, Shmyhal said that Ó Fearghail and Daly discussed a recovery plan for Ukraine as well as the threats of a global food shortage due to the war.

Previously, Shmyhal met with Taoiseach Micheál Martin at a stopover at Shannon Airport in late April.