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UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR Zelenskyy will make his first official visit to Ireland tomorrow, accompanied by First Lady Olena Zelenska.
Zelenskyy is scheduled to arrive in Dublin early tomorrow following a late-night arrival into the country this evening.
Zelenskyy’s itinerary for the day will include a visit to President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin, followed by a bilateral meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Leinster House.
A series of official engagements will take place throughout the day, including a joint press appearance with the Taoiseach, an address to a sitting of the Houses of the Oireachtas, and a later event focused on trade and economic cooperation hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
He is also expected to meet members of the Ukrainian community living in Ireland before departing the country tomorrow night.
Ireland has granted temporary protection to more than 120,000 Ukrainians since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The visit comes amid continued diplomatic efforts to advance Ukraine’s peace plan and secure further international backing.
Zelenskyy will be in Paris today for talks with French president Emmanuel Macron before travelling to Ireland.
Welcoming the visit, Micheál Martin said Ireland has been “steadfast” in its support for Ukraine.
“The people of Ukraine continue to endure the nightly onslaught of Russian missiles and drones on their cities,” Martin said.
“I look forward to reiterating Ireland’s unswerving commitment to standing with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
US and Ukrainian officials completed four hours of talks yesterday in Florida, just days before a US envoy is due in Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters afterwards that the session with the Ukrainian team was productive but work remains in the search for a peace deal.
“It’s not just about the terms that end fighting,” Rubio said.
“It’s about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity. I think we built on that today but there’s more work to be done.”
President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet Putin in Moscow in the next few days.
The negotiations come at a sensitive moment for Ukraine as it continues to push back against Russian forces that invaded in 2022 while dealing with a domestic corruption scandal.
Diplomats have been focused on revisions to a proposed 28-point plan developed in negotiations between Washington and Moscow.
That plan has been criticised as being too weighted toward Russian demands.
It had initially envisioned Ukraine ceding the entire eastern region of the Donbas to Russia, a sticking point for Kyiv.
As the meeting began on Sunday, Rubio focused on reassuring Ukraine.
“The end goal, obviously, is not just the end of the war,” Rubio said in brief remarks. “But it’s also about securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity.
Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s security council, responded to Rubio by expressing his country’s appreciation for US efforts, a message geared toward Trump, who has at times claimed that Ukraine has not been sufficiently grateful for US assistance during the war.
“US is hearing us,” Umerov said. “US is supporting us. US is working beside us.”
Umerov has been involved in ongoing talks but until now, Ukraine’s head negotiator had been Andrii Yermak, the powerful chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On Friday, Zelenskyy announced the resignation of Yermak, after his home was searched by anti-corruption investigators.
Zelenskyy’s government has been hit by fallout from a scandal over 100 million dollars embezzled from the energy sector through kickbacks paid by contractors, causing domestic pressures for Zelensky.
It was only a week ago that Rubio had met Yermak in Geneva, with each side saying the talks had been positive in putting together a revised peace plan.
With reporting from Press Association
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