‘His leadership has made a difference’ – Taoiseach praises Volodymyr Zelensky at EU leaders’ meeting

Micheál Martin said Ireland’s support and welcome for Ukrainian refugees remained strong, and said he would be bringing this country’s perspective to US president Donald Trump in Washington next month.

“I spoke earlier at the summit convened by President Zelensky to mark three years of Russia’s brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine,” Mr Martin said.

“I took the opportunity to pay a warm tribute to President Zelensky himself, because I can recall three years ago at the European Union council, on the eve of the invasion, when President Zelensky took the decision to stand his ground to stay in Kyiv and to lead his people in defending their sovereignty and their territorial integrity.

“That was an act of leadership that made a difference.”

Last week, US President Donald Trump labelled Mr Zelensky a “dictator”.

European leaders were quick to dismiss Mr Trump’s comments, with Germany’s Olaf Scholz saying “it is simply wrong and dangerous to deny President Zelensky his…