Harris to meet Zelensky during Shannon stop-over

Taoiseach Simon Harris will today meet the Ukrainian president during a stop-over in Shannon.

President Volodymyr Zelensky will make a stop at Shannon Airport during his return from the NATO 75th anniversary events in New York.

His visit to Ireland will include the first bilateral meeting with the Taoiseach on Irish soil when he and Mr Harris will discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war which has been raging for almost two-and-a-half years.

The Taoiseach is expected to express his condolences to Mr Zelensky on the loss of its citizens during the war, including in the bombing of Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital earlier this week.

The two leaders will discuss the current situation in Ukraine and the outlook for the coming months, as well as Ukraine’s ongoing bid for EU membership and Ireland’s support for that campaign.

The Taoiseach will also offer Irish assistance for thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly relocated to Russia and Belarus and entered into Russian re-education programmes since the war began, and confirm Ireland’s membership of an international coalition calling for the return of the estimated 20,000 children.

Mr Harris and Mr Zelensky previously met on the fringes of the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland last month.