Minister McEntee announces additional €40m in support for Ukraine

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD, today announced increased financial support in response to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, with an additional €40m in humanitarian and long-term development assistance to be provided this year.

The new funding builds on the €25 million announced in February to help repair Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure, bringing Ireland’s total support this year to €65 million.

This marks Ireland’s largest humanitarian and development contribution to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and a significant increase on the €35 million provided in 2025.

More than four years into the war, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine remains severe. Around 11 million people are expected to require assistance in 2026, including almost four million who have been displaced from their homes.

Ireland’s funding will provide emergency shelter, medical care, maternal healthcare and essential supports to those most affected, particularly people in frontline areas and children. This assistance will be delivered through a range of trusted partners, including UN agencies and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, ensuring that help reaches those most in need.

The €40 million announced today includes over €26 million in humanitarian assistance and almost €14 million in long-term development and peacebuilding support. A total of €2 million of the funding package will be allocated to Moldova to respond to challenges relating to the war in Ukraine.

Alongside addressing immediate needs, this funding will support Ukraine’s recovery and resilience, including through investment in civil protection infrastructure, healthcare, nutrition, support for women and children, human rights monitoring, and progress towards EU membership.

Minister McEntee made the announcement during an official visit to Ukraine, where she met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Announcing the funding, Minister McEntee said: “Over four years into this senseless war, people in Ukraine continue to face immense suffering. The scale of need is stark, with the equivalent of almost twice the population of Ireland requiring humanitarian support this year.

“For Irish people, this is not a distant crisis. We have seen first-hand the impact of this war in our own communities, as families have opened their homes and hearts to those fleeing violence. This funding is about standing by those same families and ensuring that people in Ukraine have the support they need to survive, to rebuild, and to live with dignity.

“This additional funding will provide practical, targeted assistance to those who need it most, children, families, and those living in frontline areas, while also supporting Ukraine’s long-term recovery and its path towards EU membership.

“Supporting Ukraine is about defending the values we share in Ireland: respect for sovereignty, human dignity, and the rule of law.

“This is Ireland’s largest funding package for the people of Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began, and it reflects our unwavering support for Ukraine, for as long as it takes.”

Welcoming the announcement, Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond TD, said: “This funding from Irish Aid will provide targeted and practical aid to people in Ukraine who most need it. It will provide shelter, medical care and other emergency aid to people who have been forced from their homes by Russia’s brutal and illegal war.

“Our UN partners are continuing to provide lifelines to people in Ukraine. This funding from Irish Aid will strengthen those lifelines. Ireland will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.

“Ukraine will be a priority during our upcoming EU Presidency. We will work to advance Ukraine’s EU accession path, support robust sanctions on Russia, and work to ensure that Ukraine has access to the finance it needs.”

The total funding package announced today is €40.3 million. This includes €26.5 million in humanitarian aid and €13.8 million in development and peacebuilding support.

The humanitarian allocations are as follows: International Committee of the Red Cross (€7 million); UN OCHA-managed Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (€5 million); UN Refugee Agency (€5 million); UN Population Fund (€4 million); UN Children’s Fund (€3 million); and to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (€2.5 million).

The development and peacebuilding allocation of €13.8 million will be disbursed over the coming months. Supports will be provided in areas such as: construction of civil protection shelters, Ukraine’s pathway to EU accession, electoral systems, nutrition, healthcare, reform of child protection systems, societal resilience supports for women and children, human rights monitoring, and public investment programmes.

On January 29 2026, Minister McEntee approved €25 million from Ireland to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund (UESF) to provide support for Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure.

On 31 March, Minister McEntee participated in an informal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Kyiv and travelled to Bucha for the commemoration of the liberation of the city and to honour the victims of Russian aggression.