'Ireland will always stand with Ukraine', says Taoiseach

Taoiseach Simon Harris shakes hands with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference outside Horodetskyi House, the Office of the President, in Kyiv, Ukraine, as Ireland announced millions in new funding for Ukraine. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Ireland’s reduction of financial supports to Ukrainian refugees was not met with any “disquiet or surprise” when the Taoiseach visited the government in Kyiv on Wednesday.

Simon Harris and Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an agreement on support and cooperation between Ireland and Ukraine outside the presidential palace.

The agreement aims to support Ukraine’s EU membership and provide continued humanitarian assistance.

Mr Harris also announced a €36m humanitarian funding package for Ukraine.

Mr Harris said that the recent welfare payment changes to Ukrainian refugees only relate to those who have free State accommodation, food, and utilities, and a right to work in Ireland.

He said that he “didn’t’ hear any disquiet or surprise” when he explained this to the Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal on Wednesday.

Some 109,000 Ukrainians had come to Ireland, which was 2% of Ireland’s population, he said.

“We will always keep social welfare under review,” he said.

Mr Harris vowed in Kyiv on Wednesday that Ireland and Europe would never allow the atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine to be normalised or forgotten.

“Ireland will always stand with Ukraine. Europe will always stand with Ukraine," he said.

Taoiseach Simon Harris during a visit to the Trypilska thermal power plant south of Kyiv which has been hit by repeated military strikes during the war with Russia. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

And Ireland will never allow the “brutal Russian aggression” against Ukraine to fade from people’s memories, Mr Harris said.

“Children were murdered, likely in their beds last night,” Mr Harris said, commenting on a deadly strike on the western city of Lviv early this morning.

The hypersonic missiles and drone attacks killed seven people close to the time that the Taoiseach was passing through the city last night.

A mother and her three daughters were among the victims.

The attack came after Russia's deadliest single attack on Ukraine this year which killed 53 people in a strike on a military institute in the central city of Poltava this week.

Explosions were also heard on Wednesday over Kyiv as air defences targeted Russian missiles.

Taoiseach Simon Harris with Ukraine's deputy energy minister Mykola Kolisnyk at the Trypilska thermal power plant. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

“This is a war of real pain, real, agony, and real brutality,” he said.

But Ireland would stand with Ukraine and its shared values of freedom and democracy, he said.

Ukraine’s place was in the EU and Ireland would work with Ukraine on joining the block.

Mr Zelenskyy said that using long-range missiles would save lives in Ukraine.

“We need the permission to use long-range missiles,” but permission for these depends on coalition partners, Mr Zelensky said.

The US, Britain, France, and Germany were the only countries capable of providing them with the long-range missiles needed, he said.