Zelenskyy arrives in Ireland looking for EU support

The visit is not ceremonial because Zelenskyy is taking part in the opening ceremony of Ireland’s EU Council presidency and is expected to meet Taoiseach Micheál Martin and European Council President António Costa. For Kyiv, this is a chance to place Ukraine at the centre of the Irish presidency from the first day. Ireland will not decide Ukraine’s EU future alone, but it can influence the agenda, tempo and political pressure inside the Union over the next six months.

Zelenskyy arrived with a clear message: Ukraine wants tangible progress. During the Cypriot presidency, Kyiv opened the first negotiating cluster, formally launched EU accession negotiations, activated the EU’s €90 billion financial support package and saw the approval of the 20th sanctions package against Russia. Now Ukraine wants Ireland’s presidency to open the remaining five negotiating clusters, ideally already in July.

Kyiv knows that full EU membership will not come quickly. That is why Zelenskyy’s visit is also about looking for options before accession: bilateral agreements, sectoral arrangements, financial instruments, market access, reconstruction mechanisms and defence cooperation. Ukraine can gain money, leverage and legal integration before it receives full membership.

The Irish visit also has a huge security dimension because Ukraine wants Europe to increase pressure on Russia at a moment when Kyiv believes Moscow has become more vulnerable because of long-range and mid-range sanctions. Zelenskyy is not going to Dublin only to thank Europe. He is going there to turn Ireland’s presidency into another instrument for Ukraine. Ukraine expects more sanctions, more money, more defence cooperation and more steps towards the EU. It seems that now Zelenskyy is securing a path to the EU, and next week he is going to Ankara to strengthen relations with NATO.