President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s first official visit to Ireland comes at a pivotal time for the defence of Ukraine – not only from Russia’s invasion force but also from the threat of a rushed and pro-Moscow peace deal being foisted upon Kyiv by the United States.
Visiting Ireland with wife Olena on Tuesday, Mr Zelenskiy is expected to meet Taoiseach Micheál Martin, inaugurate the Ireland-Ukraine Economic Forum with Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee, and pay a courtesy call on President Catherine Connolly.
But even 3,000km from the front line in eastern Ukraine, there can be no escape for Mr Zelenskiy from Europe’s biggest conflict since the second World War – or from US president Donald Trump’s new and concerted attempt to end it.
A senior Ukrainian delegation held talks on peace proposals with US officials in Miami over the weekend and as Mr Zelenskiy spends Tuesday in Dublin, top White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.
READ MORE
Mr Zelenskiy will arrive in Ireland fresh from holding talks with French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris, amid efforts to build a bulwark of European nations and initiatives around Ukraine to help shield Ukraine from any US bid to ram through a heavily pro-Moscow peace deal.
[ Zelenskiy to arrive at Dublin Airport tonight for first official visit to IrelandOpens in new window ]
The measures that European leaders are discussing range from a proposal to use frozen Russian assets to fund a €140 billion loan for Kyiv, to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine if a peace deal takes hold – and both issues will surely be discussed in Dublin.
Ireland has not provided military assistance to Ukraine, in-line with its neutrality, but senior officials have stated repeatedly that it would be open to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine under an appropriate mandate.
Mr Zelenskiy says powerful western security guarantees are an essential part of any possible peace deal, and the US has acknowledged this while ruling out putting any of its own troops on the ground in Ukraine.
A European-led security force could therefore become a vital element in making a US-brokered peace deal work – and give Europe leverage in negotiations – while Irish troops’ experience in post-conflict environments from Kosovo to Lebanon means the State would be well-placed to play a significant role.
Perhaps Ireland’s biggest contribution during the war has been its provision of refuge to more than 120,000 Ukrainians and the country’s First Couple are sure to express their gratitude for that in Dublin.
At the same time, Mr Zelenskiy will hope to assuage concerns over an influx of young Ukrainian men to Ireland, since his decision in August to allow men aged 18-22 to travel abroad – loosening a previous ban on all men aged 18-60 leaving Ukraine.
[ Ukraine’s Zelenskiy to visit Ireland amid ongoing efforts to end war with RussiaOpens in new window ]
