The Foreign Affairs Minister will see first hand today some of the devastation caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Minister Simon Coveney is in Kyiv after entering the country from Poland last night. He's accompanied on the trip by members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit and the Irish Ambassador to Ukraine.
Minister Coveney says he will be visiting some the areas where atrocities were reported.
His visit to the Ukrainian capital is the first by any foreign minister on the UN Security Council since the war began 50 days ago today.
Speaking in Kyiv, Minister Coveney says: "I'm in Kyiv today because I was invited to come by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, and I was happy to do so.
"We've been planning it for the last 10 days or so.
"We have high-level political meetings here with the Ukrainian government, we're also being brought to the sites where there's been serious atrocities in recent weeks - to Bucha and other suburbs of Kyiv."
Minister Coveney's discussions with the Ukrainian government will focus on how Ireland can continue to provide political, security and humanitarian support to Ukraine, assist Ukraine in its application for EU candidate status, take forward further EU sanctions on Russia and hold Russia to account.
Ireland has already provided €20 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in neighboring counties and €33 million in non-lethal assistance for the Ukrainian military through the European Peace Facility.
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