'Very sobering' to see people 'carrying bags, carrying children' to Polish border, says MEP

Billy Kelleher and Senator Timmy Dooley travelled to the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Sunday to meet with political representatives after being invited by political contacts in Brussels.

Refugees that fled Ukraine from the war crowd to get on a bus to leave Korczowa border crossing, Poland. Picture: AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski

Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher has spoken of the emotion of witnessing thousands of women, children and elderly people trying to cross the Ukrainian border after visiting the war-torn country.

Mr Kelleher and Senator Timmy Dooley travelled to the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Sunday to meet with political representatives after being invited by political contacts in Brussels.

They said they had witnessed 20-kilometre tail-backs of people trying to flee the country, made up of mainly women, children and elderly people.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner after returning across the border to Poland, Mr Kelleher said: "It was very sobering and very emotional to be truthful to see thousands and thousands of people carrying bags, carrying children, walking down roads heading to the Polish border, it was difficult to watch."

Mr Kelleher said: "We met with the mayor, we met with the governor - it's a region about 100 miles from the Polish border - and then we also met with some Ukrainian parliamentarians.

"They are very resolute, very determined and yet quite orderly and measured in how they talk about these things.

Billy Kelleher (pictured) and Senator Timmy Dooley said they had witnessed 20-kilometre tail-backs of people trying to flee the country, made up of mainly women, children and elderly people. Picture: David Keane.

"They stressed the fact that people are being injured and killed, they were talking about the fact that cities have been devastated," he said.

The Cork politician added: "We were there to see what we could do in terms of the humanitarian plight, highlighting that and asking the European Union to certainly support Poland and Slovakia more and countries that are taking refugees in."

After arriving back in Poland, Mr Dooley told RTÉ news: "They want more help from Europe, They want more helmets and bulletproof jackets, they have small numbers and that's something that Ireland has committed to do so we will certainly take that back home. 

"They want to see an orderly pass-through of people from Ukraine through to Europe."