During an official visit to Kyiv where Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin held high-level talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Irish government unveiled a fresh €125 million (£106 million) aid package for Ukraine scheduled to be delivered in 2025.
This new contribution breaks down into two key components: €100 million earmarked exclusively for non-lethal military supplies, and an additional €25 million allocated to repair and secure Ukraine’s vulnerable energy network, which has been repeatedly targeted by Russian strikes. With this latest commitment, Ireland’s total support for Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion launched in February 2022 will surpass €670 million (£571 million), marking one of the country’s largest sustained humanitarian and military assistance efforts in modern history.
Speaking ahead of and during his Kyiv meeting, Martin framed the ongoing Russian conflict as an ‘unprovoked war of aggression’ against Ukraine, and reaffirmed that backing Ukraine remains a leading policy priority for Ireland’s current rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. He emphasized that Ireland stands in unwavering solidarity with the Ukrainian people through every phase of their defensive struggle.
Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee expanded on the purpose of the new funding, noting that Russian forces have continued to deliberately strike Ukrainian civilian communities, urban centers and critical infrastructure. She pointed out that civilian casualty rates have now reached their highest point since the full-scale invasion began, making continued international support more urgent than ever. ‘This funding will boost Ukraine’s ability to withstand these brutal, indiscriminate attacks,’ McEntee said, adding that supporting Ukraine’s resilience is a core focus of Ireland’s EU presidency tenure.
Beyond immediate military and infrastructure support, McEntee also confirmed Ireland’s long-term commitment to backing Ukraine’s formal path to accession into the European Union, aligning with the bloc’s collective commitment to Ukraine’s European integration future.