President Volodymyr Zelensky will arrive in Ireland on Tuesday, Dec. 2, for his first official visit, accompanied by First Lady Olena Zelenska.
According to Sky News and Irish broadcaster RTÉ, Zelensky’s program includes a bilateral meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micháel Martin, as well as meetings with President-elect Catherine Connolly and Foreign Minister Helen McEntee.
Martin said he would hold talks with Zelensky and take part in the opening of the Ireland-Ukraine Economic Forum, which he described as “an opportunity to deepen business, trade, and investment ties between Ireland and Ukraine.”
Martin, who met Zelensky during the Ukrainian president’s brief stop in Ireland en route to the US in February, reiterated his support for Kyiv’s sovereignty ahead of Zelensky’s visit.
“It is an honor to welcome President Zelensky and the First Lady to Ireland,” he said.
“Around the world, he is rightly recognized as someone who embodies the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people, who have inspired the world in their brave defense of their country and its sovereignty since it was brutally and illegally invaded by Russia,” Martin added.
He said that although he has met Zelensky several times, including in Kyiv, this first official visit to Ireland carries particular significance and marks an important moment in bilateral relations.
Martin said that Ireland has been a reliable partner to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion. Ireland has provided shelter to around 120,000 Ukrainian refugees, as well as diplomatic and humanitarian support.
During the visit, Zelensky will also address the Irish parliament, the Oireachtas.
He is scheduled to participate in several additional events, including the opening of the Ireland-Ukraine Economic Forum, which will also be attended by Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris.
Zelensky is visiting France on Monday, Dec. 1, for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron to strengthen support for Kyiv.
Meanwhile, the head of Ukraine’s peace delegation, Rustem Umerov, who also serves as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (RNBO), is traveling from the US to Paris, where he is expected to brief Zelensky on Sunday’s negotiations in Miami with senior US officials over a potential framework to end the war.
Umerov’s trip follows a new round of high-stakes discussions in Florida on Nov. 30 between the Ukrainian team and top US negotiators.
The talks in Florida were held amid political turmoil in Kyiv. Zelensky is under intense scrutiny after a major corruption probe led to the resignation of his chief of staff and chief negotiator, Andriy Yermak, on Friday. Yermak had been a central figure in the recent Geneva talks.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s Russia envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Moscow – a planned visit that has raised concern among analysts in Washington and Kyiv who fear some members of Trump’s team may be drifting too close to Russian positions. The White House has firmly denied those claims.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet Witkoff ahead of Putin’s planned trip to India on Dec. 4-5. He provided no specific date or further details about the meeting.