In an address to the Oireachtas on an official visit to Ireland, Mr Zelenskyy thanked the Irish people for their “steadfast support” just as a peace deal which could decide the fate of his country was being discussed by Russian and American envoys in Moscow.<\/p>\n
In his speech to TDs and senators, Mr Zelenskyy said that while there is fatigue in some societies about the ongoing war, his country does \u201cnot feel your voice, the voice of Ireland, is turning quieter\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for not losing faith in us, just as we do not lose faith that the day will come when we will welcome all our friends to Ukraine in peace and when we will welcome home all our people who were forced to flee, back to a peaceful Ukraine,” he added.<\/p>\n
In an earlier joint press conference, Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin said Ireland has given \u20ac340m in aid to Ukraine and stands ready to contribute peacekeepers to the country if a deal is reached.<\/p>\n
\u201cIreland will be open to monitoring any ceasefire or, indeed, aspects of a peace settlement,\u201d Mr Martin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have long experience in Lebanon and in Africa in terms of peace monitoring and peacekeeping.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly, we’re wishing to contribute to peacekeeping and to peace monitoring in Ukraine. Ireland is open to that.”<\/p>\n
Mr Martin vowed to be \u201cproactive\u201d in securing Ukraine\u2019s membership of the European Union and to \u201ccontinue to engage with the Ukrainian community in Ireland\u201d, noting that while many are here as Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection, Ireland will \u201chave to work\u201d with them.<\/p>\n
In the same press conference, Mr Zelenskyy said that he was “grateful” for the support of the Irish Government for his people.<\/p>\n
The Government recently announced that it was curtailing the number of days a Ukrainian refugee can stay in State accommodation from 90 to 30, as well as introducing cuts to the accommodation recognition payment.<\/p>\n
When asked if he was worried Irish support for Ukraine is waning, Mr Zelenskyy told the Irish Examiner he is grateful for all support.<\/p>\n
\u201cIreland, from the very beginning of the war, chose this side, in my opinion, an honest side, not because I’m the president of Ukraine, but because that’s the right thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Zelenskyy had earlier met with President Catherine Connolly at Aras an Uachtar\u00e1in, writing in a visitors’ book it “is a great honour to visit Ireland” alongside his wife, Olena Zelenska.<\/p>\n
![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/4883151_2_articleinline_Zelenskyy_20Aras_20signing-3.jpg\" "\\"President")
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accompanied by First Lady Olena Zelenska, meets President Catherine Connolly at \u00c1ras an Uachtar\u00e1in. Picture: Sasko Lazarov \/\u00a0 RollingNews.ie<\/p>\n
“On behalf of the people of Ukraine, I express my sincere gratitude for Ireland’s steadfast support during our fight against Russian aggression,” Mr Zelenskyy said.<\/p>\n
“We greatly appreciate Ireland’s generosity in providing temporary shelter to displaced Ukrainians.”<\/p>\n
Mr Zelenskyy’s visit to Ireland came as Moscow claimed it had taken the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, an important logistics hub in the eastern Donetsk region and as two representatives of the US president prepared to meet with the Russian president.\u00a0<\/p>\n