Taoiseach Micheál Martin attends meetings of Coalition of the Willing and European Council to discuss latest developments on Ukraine

Taoiseach Micheál Martin attended leaders’ meetings today (Tuesday) of the Coalition of the Willing and European Council to discuss the latest developments on efforts to bring peace to Ukraine.

This online meeting of the Coalition of the Willing was convened by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, followed by an online meeting of members of the European Council convened by European Council President António Costa.

These discussions followed the summit in Washington DC yesterday (18 August) between President Zelenskyy, President Trump, and European leaders.

Speaking after today’s meetings, the Taoiseach said:

“I was pleased to have the opportunity today to speak to my European colleagues about progress underway to end the war in Ukraine. Reports from yesterday’s meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy, along with European leaders suggest reasons for optimism. I again thank President Trump for his initiative and commitment which has brought us closer to our objective of ending Russia’s war of aggression and achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

“Ireland has always insisted that an end to the war must be obtained through diplomatic means, with the full participation of Ukraine in any peace talks, and that Ukraine must be supported to ensure that President Zelenskyy can enter into these negotiations from a position of strength. I therefore welcome the engagement between the US, Ukraine, and EU leaders yesterday, and the work underway to facilitate peace talks between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia.

“At today’s meetings, we also discussed the security guarantees that could be provided by Europe and the US to Ukraine following an end to Russia’s war aggression against Ukraine. As I said after the meeting of the coalition on Monday, Ireland stands ready to play our part - building on support we have already committed to Ukraine for non-lethal military equipment and our openness to contribute to a peacekeeping mission in line with the UN Charter.

“Ireland is firmly committed to Ukraine’s future as a member of the European Union and such membership must be part of any security guarantees. Russia cannot have a veto on Ukraine’s path towards EU membership.

“It is positive that the talks in Washington respected Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. It was reiterated at today’s meetings that it will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory and that international borders must not be changed by force.

“While the talks in Washington show promise, we must continue to exert pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire and engage seriously with negotiations on a just and lasting peace, including through the continued implementation of EU sanctions. The conflict cannot be allowed to continue while a path to peace is laid.

“I welcome that the talks in Washington also focused on the human dimension of securing a just peace for Ukraine and that the issue of abducted children and the imprisonment of civilians is getting the attention it deserves. I call again on Russia to return all the Ukrainian children abducted since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and to release all civilians being held unlawfully.

“At today’s meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, I once again assured President Zelenskyy that Ireland stands with Ukraine and we will continue to support the people of Ukraine on their path towards a just and durable peace.”