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14th Apr 2022

Simon Coveney travels to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian officials

Dave Hanratty

Simon Coveney Ukraine

It is the first such visit of a foreign affairs minister on the UN Security Council to Ukraine since the invasion began.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has travelled to Kyiv to meet with government officials.

Coveney is set to visit areas directly affected by the impact of Russian forces following the country’s invasion of Ukraine that commenced in late February.

Minister Coveney’s appearance in Ukraine represents the first such visit by any foreign minister on the United Nations Security Council since the invasion began.

RTÉ News reports that Coveney travelled overnight via secure military transport.

He has been accompanied on his journey by Therese Healy, Ireland’s ambassador to Ukraine.

It is understood that Coveney is also accompanied by a protection team made up of members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit.

His meetings will take place in secure, undisclosed locations.

Coveney has travelled in order to discuss Ireland’s response to the Ukraine crisis and how the country can continue to provide support in the weeks and months ahead.

Ukraine’s application to the join the European Union will also be on the agenda, as will the prospect of imposing further sanctions on Russia.

“Ireland has been at the forefront of putting in place a robust EU sanctions regime and of supporting international mechanisms to hold Russia to account for grave violations of international humanitarian law, including referring the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court,” said a Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson.

Minister Coveney is expected to provide a report on his visit to the UN Security Council.

Featured Image via Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

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