Ireland can play a pivotal role in securing lasting peace in Ukraine

Our voice is one of peace and it is rooted in a history of overcoming disempowerment and the construction of reconciliation through dialogue, writes Senator Aubrey McCarthy 

Rescuers search for victims after a drone hit a residential building during Russia's night missile and drone attack in Kyiv on Saturday. Picture: AP/Efrem Lukatsky

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first official visit to Ireland comes at the most critical and finely balanced phase for Ukraine’s peace negotiations.

His decision to come to Ireland at this pivotal juncture underscores the important role we have played as a country in supporting Ukraine’s right to self-defence, while remaining firmly within the limits of our neutrality. 

Our unique standing means we have an important contribution to make in any forthcoming peace arrangement, and in guiding Ukraine toward a stable and prosperous future.

Last August, I travelled to Kyiv as convenor of the Ireland-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, and to meet with President Zelenskyy and other senior political figures in the country.

There’s truth in the saying that nothing compares to seeing things with your own eyes. And naturally, our visit could offer only a brief glimpse into the intense suffering and hardship the Ukrainian people endure every day. What I witnessed there however will stay with me for a very long time.

Given the absence of air travel, we spent what felt like an eternity on the train — from Poland to Kyiv. Reaching the city, I was tremendously impressed by the natural beauty of the place, the bordering forests and the banks of the Dnieper River — though given the frequency of Russian attacks in the area, the Department of Foreign Affairs suggested that the stay be short.

I was instructed to download the air raid apps and to be wary of my own security at all times. While travelling within the city, I was joined by Irish ambassador Jonathan Conlon in an armoured vehicle, which really brought home the level of threat the people of Ukraine face on a daily basis. 

Firefighters put out the fire after a drone hit a multi-storey residential building during Russia's night drone attack in Kyiv last week. Picture: AP/Efrem Lukatsky

During my discussions in Kyiv, I was surprised to hear the air raid sirens echoing across the city, and even more surprised when no one moved because it has become such a part of everyday life.

One especially moving moment for me was seeing the Irish flags and photos of Irishmen who fought on the frontline and were killed in action at a memorial to the fallen soldiers. One photo was of a man I never knew but actually lived just six miles away from me in Co Kildare.

The human cost is seen and felt everywhere in Kyiv as the war is very much ongoing — the parliament buildings have an incredibly high security detail, as you can imagine. Again, the truly extraordinary security precautions taken during President Zelenskyy’s visit to Ireland reinforces the ongoing threats confronting him and the people of Ukraine.

When I met Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, chair of Ukraine’s EU Integration Committee, she told me  Ukraine was working to keep the world’s attention focused on the human cost of Russia’s aggression, from the understanding that when people are not living in a war zone, they grow weary of hearing about it — and switch to the next channel and that’s the end of it.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Irish people have defied this trend of indifference, and it’s why we are held in such high esteem by President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine.

We have welcomed displaced families into our communities, we have provided non-lethal military and civilian aid, and have been at the fore in expanding humanitarian aid to those affected by the war.

Senator Aubrey McCarthy: 'As Ukraine advances toward EU membership, we must lead the way in accession talks to ensure Ukraine’s path to integration remains unobstructed.'

Hopefully, we are on the cusp of a peace settlement, but whatever happens, we will not abandon the Ukrainian people. Recent figures bring to light a commitment of €380m in humanitarian and stabilisation support, including €122m in non-lethal military aid, like demining equipment and medical supplies.

We have welcomed into our communities more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, and we have a further, perhaps even more important, role to play in the weeks and months ahead.

Ireland has a long and treasured history of neutrality, which gives us not only the ability, but the responsibility to be fearless advocates for democracy and peace. 

As Ukraine advances toward EU membership, we must lead the way in accession talks to ensure Ukraine’s path to integration remains unobstructed. We must work from within the EU, to push back against any interference in delaying this and in the meantime, we must continue to support Ukraine’s right to defend itself, within the limits of our neutrality, through logistical and non-lethal means.

Our voice is one of peace and it is rooted in a history of overcoming disempowerment and the construction of reconciliation through dialogue, as seen in our own Good Friday Agreement. 

It is in the name of peace that we must continue to be a leading voice in bringing about an end to this conflict — not by means of escalation or military intervention, but by championing diplomacy, upholding international law, and by amplifying calls for a just resolution. 

Around the world, we have contributed to peace, whether through human rights advocacy, or peacekeeping missions, and it is with this same resolve that we must stand unwaveringly with the people of Ukraine.

• Senator Aubrey McCarthy serves as the convenor of the Ireland–Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group. Through his charity, Tiglin, he has played a role in Ireland’s humanitarian response, providing housing and support for more than 150 Ukrainians displaced by war. He was elected by the graduates of Trinity College Dublin in January 2025 to Seanad Éireann.