Ireland will assist Ukraine in its accession to the EU — Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk met with the Speaker of the Senate of the Irish Parliament
06 March 2026, 17:40
Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk met in Dublin with Speaker of the Senate of the Irish Parliament Mark Daly.
They discussed strengthening sanctions against the russian aggressor and Ireland’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will begin in the second half of 2026 and run from 1 July to 31 December.
The Speaker of the Senate assured that during its presidency of the Council of the EU, Ireland would make every effort to promote and accelerate the accession negotiations. «Ukraine's membership in the EU is of crucial importance,» Mark Daly stressed.
In turn, the Deputy Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament stressed the importance of Dublin considering Ukraine's membership in the European Union as a key security guarantee for our state.
«We are grateful to Ireland for supporting the EU's 20th sanctions package against russia. We hope for assistance during the upcoming EU Council presidency in unblocking negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union across all clusters. In addition, it is important to unblock the allocation of a €90 billion loan from the EU to Ukraine as soon as possible. We count on support for maintaining a ‘package’ approach to Ukraine and Moldova within the negotiation process,» Olena Kondratiuk said.
On behalf of the Verkhovna Rada and the Ukrainian people, Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk also thanked Ireland for providing humanitarian and non-lethal military aid worth almost €570 million.
«We are grateful for the shelter provided to more than 120,000 Ukrainians since 2022. Ukrainians have endured a very difficult and cold winter. Ireland did not stand aside and allocated €25 million to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. Thank you for your contribution to our resilience,» Olena Kondratiuk emphasised.
The Deputy Speaker also expressed her hope that Irish aid would continue and increase in 2026: «After all, russia is showing no willingness to make peace, but is only escalating the war and terror against Ukraine.»