Ukraine: President Zelensky to address Irish parliament
- Published
Volodymyr Zelensky will address the Oireachtas in April
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address both houses of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) next month.
He accepted the invitation from speaker Seán Ó Fearghaíl to make the virtual address on 6 April.
Mr Zelensky has made speeches to the parliaments of many countries since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last month.
The taoiseach (Irish PM) is due to attend a European Council meeting on Thursday.
Micheál Martin will meet with other European Union (EU) leaders in Brussels to discuss Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and other issues, including Covid-19, RTÉ News has reported., external
Mr Martin recently tested positive for coronavirus whilst on a visit to Washington for St Patrick's Day, forcing him to hold a scheduled meeting with President Biden virtually instead.
He has since twice tested negative for Covid-19, allowing him to attend the Brussels meeting in person, RTÉ has said.
The president made a speech to the UK House of Commons
In a speech to the UK House of Commons at the beginning of March, the Ukrainian president appealed for help from politicians and called for Russia to be named a "terrorist state".
He has since made speeches to politicians in other countries.
In his most recent nightly address, Mr Zelensky called for a global protest to be held against the war in Ukraine on Thursday, which marks one month since the Russian invasion began.
"Russia is trying to defeat the freedom of all people in Europe. Of all the people in the world," he said.
Foreign leaders to have addressed a joint sitting of the Oireachtas , externalinclude US Presidents John F Kennedy in 1963 and Ronald Reagan in 1984, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998, Nelson Mandela in 1990, French President François Mitterrand in 1988 and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in 1996.
War in Ukraine: More coverage