The Taoiseach Simon Harris has confirmed to Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, during their meeting on Saturday, that Ireland is part of the global coalition advocating for the return of 20,000 children forcibly moved to Russia and Belarus from Ukraine since March 2022. Mr. Harris conveyed this message during their inaugural bilaterally-focused meeting held on Irish territory at Shannon Airport. The focal point of their discussion was the persistent invasion and war waged by Russia against Ukraine.
President Zelenskiy was in transit at Shannon after participating in Nato’s 75th-anniversary conference in Washington, where he had been wrongly introduced as ‘President Putin’ by the US President Joe Biden who quickly rectified his error.
Mr. Harris is set to offer his sympathies to President Zelenskiy following the devastating assault on one of Ukraine’s primary children’s hospital earlier in the week. Their discussion is also slated to encompass Ukraine’s relentless pursuit of EU membership, with Ireland being part of the majority of member nations favouring its induction.
The Irish Government has affirmed its involvement in the international alliance advocating for the forced return of an estimated 20,000 children from Belarus and Russia to Ukraine. These children have reportedly been subjected to what are referred to as re-education programmes.
Prior to this, in Switzerland, Mr. Harris and Mr. Zelenskiy had a brief interaction on the fringes of the Ukraine Peace Summit. Since 2020, Ireland has contributed a total of €250 million in non-warlike military aid to Ukraine via the European Peace Facility. In addition, 108,000 Ukrainian refugees have taken up residence in Ireland following the onset of the war.