Zelenskyy Concludes First Official Irish Visit Following Economic Forum Launch

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded his first official visit to Ireland on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, following his arrival late on Monday, December 1, 2025. This high-level engagement, the first by a Ukrainian head of state to the nation, occurred after President Zelenskyy met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on December 1, 2025, to discuss terms for a durable peace.

Key engagements in Dublin included a bilateral meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and a courtesy call upon President Catherine Connolly, who assumed office on November 11, 2025. The central economic objective of the visit was the official launch of the Ireland-Ukraine Economic Forum, an initiative intended to deepen trade, investment, and business-to-business connections between the nations. Taoiseach Martin affirmed Ireland's "unswerving commitment to standing with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes," noting the visit arrived at a "critical time for Ukraine and Europe." The Ukrainian delegation also included Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Ambassador to Dublin Larysa Gerasko.

President Zelenskyy delivered a formal address to a joint sitting of the Irish Parliament, the Houses of the Oireachtas, at Leinster House, continuing a practice that began with a video address in April 2022. This visit underscores Ireland’s sustained political alignment, evidenced by welcoming over 120,000 Ukrainians seeking refuge since Russia's full-scale invasion commenced in February 2022; approximately 80,000 of these individuals remained in Ireland as of December 2025.

The diplomatic context for the visit involved ongoing international negotiations, as the United States administration was actively working to broker a ceasefire underpinned by a peace plan, with talks concluding in Florida on November 30. The visit also followed the recent resignation of Ukraine's Chief of Staff, Andrii Yermak. Ireland's total financial commitment to Ukraine since February 2022 approached €380 million by late 2024, covering humanitarian, stabilization, and non-lethal military assistance.