Taoiseach confirms Ukraine has received de-mining equipment
Support Taoiseach For Focused Yesterday A Of Future Varadkar Leaders Summit Ukraine On At Eu Paris In Was Leo
The Ukrainian army has received Irish de-mining equipment for use in the ongoing war, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has confirmed.
At a Paris summit on Monday, Mr Varadkar confirmed the arrival of the equipment and that Ukrainian soldiers were being instructed in how to use it.
“Only in the last couple of weeks, anti-mining equipment or de-mining equipment has arrived in Ukraine and we’re helping Ukrainian soldiers to learn how to use them,” Mr Varadkar said.
“We’re also seeing if there’s other ways we can help them, particularly around things like air defence.”
The summit of EU leaders, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, was focused on future support for Ukraine, more than two years on from the Russian invasion.
“We’re here in Paris today to say that we stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes, to send a very clear message to the Kremlin that Russia cannot win this war,” Mr Varadkar said.
“I think when it comes to the EU and Europe as a whole, the most important thing we now need to do is to honour the commitments that we’ve already made to Ukraine. So to make sure that the €50bn we agreed a few weeks ago starts flowing.”
Asked about support for Ukraine, Mr Varadkar said that some countries will provide lethal military aid but, due to Ireland’s neutrality, only non-lethal aid will be sent.
“For some countries, that's going to be ammunition and weapons. For us, it's not because of our neutral status. However, there's so much we can do around non-lethal weapons, around de-mining in particular, and also providing financial, political, and humanitarian support.
“That’s very much Ireland’s place in this.”
Russia has made some gains in recent weeks, with the capture the suburb of Avdiivka in the east of the country after a four-month long battle with Ukrainian forces.