Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived on Wednesday in Ireland for the EU Council presidency opening ceremony and to hold talks with senior officials.
In a statement on Telegram, Zelenskyy said he would meet Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin and European Council President Antonio Costa during the visit.
"Arrived in Ireland. I will take part in the opening ceremony of Ireland's presidency of the Council of the European Union. I will also meet with Prime Minister Micheal Martin and President of the European Council Antonio Costa," he said.
He said Ukraine demonstrates every day that "it deserves to be treated as a full and equal part of the European family", expressing hope that Ireland's EU Council presidency would help deliver progress on Ukraine's accession process and open all negotiation clusters.
"Ukraine proves every day that it deserves to be an equal part of our common European home. And we hope that during Ireland's presidency of the Council of the European Union, we will be able to make tangible progress on the path to membership and open all the negotiation clusters," he said.
Ireland took over the rotating presidency of the EU Council this month, helping set the bloc’s policy agenda and facilitate negotiations among member states.
Ukraine has made EU membership a strategic priority and was granted candidate status in 2022, but accession talks are expected to take several years and require unanimous approval from EU member states at key stages.
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