OFFICIAL MEETING
Taoiseach set to meet with Ukrainian President during re-fuel at Shannon Airport following major bombing at hospital
Zelensky will be landing at Shannon as he returns from the NATO summit
TAOISEACH Simon Harris is set to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at Shannon Airport this morning.
Zelensky will be landing at Shannon as he returns from the NATO summit and his flights stops to refuel.
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He will be met by Harris and it's likely there is set to be a guard of honour present.
The two will then go on to hold talks amid their first bilateral meeting on Irish soil.
Harris is expected to be invited on an official visit to Ukraine, the same as both Leo Varadkar and Michael Martin did when they served as Taoiseach.
Harris will reportedly express his condolences for the people of Ukraine during the war with Russia, which will include the bombing of the largest children's hospital earlier this week.
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As they go on to discuss the ongoing situation and the months of devastation it will bring, the two country leaders are set to discuss Ukraine's bid for EU membership - something Ireland is backing.
Moving on from this, Harris is said to offer more assistance when it comes to Ukrainian children being relocated to Russia and Belarus amid the conflict.
He will also confirm the country's membership of an international coalition for the return of around 20,000 children.
Media have been invited for doorstepping opportunities following the meeting with Zelensky in which they will be able to pose question to An Taoiseach regarding numerous issues.
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In September last year, Zelensky stopped at Shannon during a re-fuel and met with Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Mr Zelensky was travelling back from a trip to the US and Canada where he spoke at the United Nations General Assembly and met with world leaders.
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The Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko, joined him at the meeting.
Mr Zelensky posted about his visit on X (formerly Twitter) and said: "At Shannon Airport, I held an unscheduled meeting with President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
"I am grateful for Sudan's consistent support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We discussed common security challenges, namely the activities of illegal armed groups financed by Russia.
"I invited him to support the Grain From Ukraine initiative and take part in this year's summit. We considered possible platforms for intensifying cooperation between Ukraine and African countries."