Taoiseach Micheál Martin attends meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in support of Ukraine
- Published on: 24 February 2026
- Last updated on: 24 February 2026
Taoiseach Micheál Martin participated in a meeting this morning of the Coalition of the Willing in support of Ukraine, convened to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The video meeting was co-chaired by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President of France Emmanuel Macron. It was joined from Kyiv by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a number of EU leaders meeting there to mark the occasion.
Speaking after today’s meeting, the Taoiseach said:
“I was pleased to join this meeting of the Coalition of the Willing to offer Ireland’s continuing support and solidarity to Ukraine after four long years of brutal and illegal war.
“The leaders meeting today were unanimous in our unwavering commitment to Ukraine and its people. They have endured incredible suffering, including in recent weeks as they faced an exceptionally cold winter without heat or electricity. They have demonstrated bravery, resilience and an unbreakable will, despite Russia’s best efforts to defeat them.
“President Zelenskyy briefed the meeting on on-going US-led talks and on Ukraine’s current needs, including for air defence and energy.
“Leaders at the meeting expressed our hope that the talks will deliver a just and lasting peace for Ukraine and we reiterated our commitment to underpinning any peace agreement, including through robust security guarantees.
“I underlined that it is for the people of Ukraine to determine their own future and I emphasised also the importance of increasing pressure on Russia, including through tougher sanctions and through cracking down on its shadow fleet, to undermine its ability to wage war and to oblige it to engage in meaningful negotiations.
“I reaffirmed Ireland’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine and our readiness to step-up our assistance. I also reiterated our position that Ukraine’s future lies in the European Union, and I look forward to working with Ukraine during Ireland’s Presidency of the EU to accelerate its membership negotiations."