Why has Zelenskyy decided to fly over to Dublin for the start of Ireland's EU presidency?

LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR Zelenskyy will be in Dublin today to see Ireland usher in the presidency of the European Council.

He only recently visited here in December, and is set to be possibly the only European leader (other than European Council president António Costa) to attend the goings-on at Dublin Castle.

Zelenskyy’s visit was confirmed this morning following reporting by The Journal last week. 

The Ukrainian president is scheduled to land at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel ahead of the formal ceremony, where he is expected to meet with Tánaiste Simon Harris. 

So why is he here?

It’s likely to canvass for two things – Ukraine’s push to join the EU, and funding for their military.

Ukraine’s EU membership bid

During the visit, Zelenskyy will have the opportunity to chat with Martin and Costa about Ukraine’s aspirations of joining the EU.

While Ukraine is not one of the 27 EU member states that make up the bloc, it is a candidate state that has begun the long accession process to join the union.

Just four days after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Zelenskyy formally applied for EU membership, arguing that Ukraine’s future “lay within Europe”.

Advertisement

Ukraine was granted candidate status later that year and formally opened accession negotiations alongside Moldova in June 2024.

However, progress was effectively frozen by repeated objections from Hungary under former prime minister Viktor Orbán, who argued Ukraine was not ready to begin substantive membership talks.

The country got some good news at the start of June as Hungary’s new government signalled it would no longer block the opening of the next phase of accession negotiations.

Just weeks later, however, Ukrainian hopes to quickly progress through the EU’s accession process were put at risk once again after Hungary opposed sending a letter to the European Council and Commission, on behalf of the bloc’s 27 members, that spells out the joint position of EU capitals.

Hungary was the only country to oppose the move, which requires unanimous approval from all 27 countries.

It will no doubt help Zelenskyy’s case today that those in attendance at Dublin Castle (Costa, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the Irish government) are very much in favour of Ukraine joining the EU, and the government has explicitly identified EU ‘enlargement’ as one of its key priorities during its six-month term.

The government has repeatedly backed Ukraine’s efforts to join the European Union following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and Taoiseach Micheál Martin has previously said Ukraine “belongs in the EU”.

Speaking this morning, Martin told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that Ukraine could “in theory” join the EU while still at war.

While full membership remains years away, Irish ministers have signalled they want to use the country’s upcoming presidency to advance negotiations with candidate countries.

Paul Gillespie, former foreign policy editor of The Irish Times and now of UCD’s School of Politics and International Relations told The Journal that campaigning for Ukraine and other countries to join the bloc “is an obvious example of how [Martin] could make a mark”.

“The enlargement agenda is now very important geopolitically and they would very much want Montenegro on the agenda, and obviously Ukraine as well. There are minority/majority issues in Ukraine, and stuff about languages and rights, but the Irish experience is relevant there too and I think Martin would be to the fore with that,” Gillespie said.

Related Reads

European Parliament president: This is Ireland’s moment to take the lead for Europe

Ukraine military funding 

Zelenskyy will also be pushing for more EU funding for Ukraine’s military.

Ukraine is currently asking its allies to fund a new wave of drones, missiles and military technology that could keep Russia off balance and deepen Ukraine’s recent gains.

Ukrainian military officials have claimed that the country reclaimed around 600 square kilometres during the first five months of the year, though they’ve added that Ukrainian officials have faced chronic shortages of several weapons and ammunition types.

“We need the next level of aid to be able to finish the job,” Ukraine’s defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov told Politico yesterday.

“If we have enough resources to launch a new cycle of war innovations before Russia adapts to the current one, we will get another six months,” Fedorov added.

The EU and its member states have collectively mobilized €211.3 billion in overall support to Ukraine since Russia launched their invasion.

Ireland has sent €65 million to Ukraine so far this year, though none of that funding was for Ukraine’s military - €40 million was for “humanitarian and long-term development assistance” and the other €25 million was to help repair Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure.

Zelenskyy will be present for the EU presidency opening ceremony at Dublin Castle this afternoon, and will also meet with Martin later today. 

Additional reporting from Emma Hickey

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More Support The Journal