Leo Varadkar rules out putting time-limit on supports for Ukrainians

The Taoiseach said Mr Zelenskyy had a list of things that he would like Ireland to provide to help Ukraine fight off Russian forces. JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the Government has no plans right now to put a time-limit on offering accommodation or financial supports to Ukrainians.

Mr Varadkar was speaking to reporters in Brussels on Thursday evening following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Mr Varadkar had requested an examination of how Ireland treats Ukrainians in comparison to other EU countries.

The papers, submitted by the Department of Integration to the Cabinet committee on Ukraine, showed some EU countries put a time-limit on welfare payments to Ukrainians as well as accommodation.

It has been widely reported that the Government would consider these measures however, Mr Varadkar said he cannot imagine a situation where the State would cut off support to Ukrainians.

He said the State wants to encourage Ukrainians to become self-sufficient but this would not be possible in all cases.

“You know, I suppose what we've done, and it's reasonable to do it as a comparative analysis as to how you Ukrainians are treated in different EU countries, but it's not always comparable, he told the Irish Examiner.

“So particularly if you go to the East, where there are large Ukrainian communities, most people for example, are staying in private homes. Ireland is very different.

“Most Ukrainians in Ireland have no links to Ireland, and they're staying in hotels.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Council president Charles Michel with fellow European Union leaders in Brussels. Picture: Virginia Mayo/AP

“So you know, it's not that you can have a one size fits all model. Romania and Poland are very different places to Ireland and Portugal, for example.

“We don't at the moment have any plans to cut support for Ukrainians and, you know, I'm not sure how that would work at the moment.

“We do want to obviously encourage Ukrainians who can enter the workforce to become self-sufficient, to take up employment, to provide for their own accommodation and their own needs. But that's not going to be possible in all cases.

“A lot of Ukrainians who are in Ireland barely speak English, some are women who've a number of children's look after.

“It's not practical for them to become self-supporting. And you know, I can't imagine a situation where we would just cut them off,” Mr Varadkar added.

Meanwhile, the Taoiseach said Mr Zelenskyy had a list of things that he would like Ireland to provide to help Ukraine fight off Russian forces.

Mr Varadkar said Mr Zeleneskyy understood why Ireland could not send lethal weapons but he Ukrainian president also asked for non-lethal equipment including rations, oil, engineering equipment, medical kits and body armor.

“He is very grateful for the support that we have given so far, not just in terms of non-lethal equipment, but the financial aid, the political support for them becoming members of the European Union, and also the fact that we've accepted so many Ukrainian refugees in Ireland, the highest per capita in Western Europe, and he was aware of that,” Mr Varadkar added.