Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy in Ireland to shore up support with US’s Witkoff set to meet Putin | Russia

Meanwhile, Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte has been briefing the media ahead of tomorrow’s Nato ministerial meeting in Brussels.

In his opening comments, he welcomed the US efforts to end the war and said he was “confident that these sustained efforts will eventually restore peace in Europe.”

(Eventually appears to be doing a lot of heavy lifting here.)

He also repeatedly criticised Russia for “systematically targeting civilian infrastructure” through its attacks on Ukraine.

Rutte also said he was expecting allies to “announce new contributions” to Nato’s Priorities Ukraine Requirements List – that’s essentially a scheme for Nato purchases of US weapons for Ukraine – in the coming days, further adding to “billions of dollars” already committed.

In the Q&A, he was asked a number of questions on the state of the Ukraine talks, and Nato’s role in them given that most discussions are happening through national channels between the US, Russia and Ukraine.

Rutte insisted that “when it comes to the Nato elements of the deal … that will be dealt with separately, and will obviously include Nato,” while generally repeatedly backing the US efforts.

Asked about Ukraine’s Nato membership, he repeated the alliance’s openness to it joining the alliance, but stressed that it requires a consensus from all Nato allies, and there was currently no agreement on that point.

He said the original 28 plan was a starting point, but “we have moved on” from that point with new drafts.

“We want the war to end, but with a sovereign Ukraine and a situation where Russia will never, ever try again to attack Ukraine, that’s key. The talks are now under way,” he said.

Rutte was also asked about US state secretary Marco Rubio’s absence at tomorrow’s meeting – which critics said was unprecedented – but he played down its significance.

“Marco Rubio is very much involved, of course, in all of this when it comes to ending the war in Ukraine … He’s working extremely hard, having to take care not only of the situation in Ukraine, but, of course, many other issues which are on his plate. So I totally accept him not being able to be here tomorrow, and I would not read anything to it,” he said, adding the US will be represented by Rubio’s deputy, Chris Landau.

Ireland promises €125m in funding for Ukraine on non-lethal military support, energy

Rory Carroll

in Dublin

Ireland has promised an extra €125m in financial support for Ukraine, including €25m to help restore and protect its fragile energy supply.

The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, said Ireland wanted to offer Volodymyr Zelenskyy not just words of assurance on his visit to Dublin but practical assistance.

“An additional €100m in non-lethal military support will be made available, to help Ukraine withstand the indiscriminate nightly onslaught of Russian missiles and drones. Ireland will also provide €25m for Ukraine’s energy supplies to help to counter Russia’s cynical and callous attacks,” said Martin.

Later on Tuesday the two leaders will sign an agreement titled the 2030 Roadmap on Ukraine-Ireland Partnership, which builds on a previous agreement from September 2024. The roadmap includes political and security cooperation as well as initiatives in reconstruction, education and culture.

Jakub Krupa

In fact, it looks like it’s two (or more?!) phones.

Jakub Krupa

Arriving for his first meeting with Ireland’s new president Catherine Connolly, Zelenskyy was caught with his phone in hand, quickly passing it to one of his security circle as he got out of the car.

Can’t blame him given everything there’s lots to keep an eye on with so much happening today, including the key US-Russia talks in Moscow.

Fortunately, we have the Europe Live blog for you, and we will bring you all the latest.

Here we go.

Zelenskyy has just arrived at Áras an Uachtaráin for his meeting with the Irish president, Catherine Connolly, beginning with a moment to sign the guest book, with a note of thanks to the Irish people for their “steadfast support”, stressing that Ukraine “values its friendship with Ireland,” and talking about the commitment to closer cooperation in “pursuit of a just and lasting peace.”

This formally begins his visit in Ireland, with more to come today.

Zelenskyy’s job during Ireland trip is to stop things fraying as first cracks in position towards Ukraine appear — analysis

Rory Carroll

in Dublin

The Irish government is feting Volodymyr Zelenskyy with full pomp on his first official visit to Ireland but there are fissures in Irish solidarity with Ukraine.

On the surface all is positive. The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, lauded the visitor as a bulwark against Russian aggression. “Our support for the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy remains unwavering.”

After meeting President Catherine Connolly Zelenskyy will have a bilateral with Martin and is expected to get a rousing welcome when he addresses the joint houses of the Oireachtas, the Irish legislature. The government will announce extra funding for Ukraine, inaugurate an Ireland-Ukraine Economic Forum and introduce Zelenskyy to some of the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have settled here.

There are, however, cracks. Ireland’s warmth towards Ukrainian arrivals – state-funded accommodation and generous welfare payments – has cooled amid a backlash against immigrants and refugees. Benefits are no longer quite so generous.

The Irish presidency is a largely ceremonial post but the newly elected Connolly is an outspoken critic of Nato and western “militarism”. She has compared German arms spending to the Nazi era. The government’s desire to participate in European security arrangements – and possibly a peacekeeping role in Ukraine – is expected to cause friction with Connolly, who cherishes Irish military neutrality.

Amid the smiles and handshakes and applause for Zelenskyy in Dublin, his job is to stop things fraying.

Before his meetings in Ireland, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was briefed on the state of the peace talks, stressing that Ukraine was taking the diplomatic work with “utmost seriousness.”

His post comes after a meeting in person with Rustem Umerov and other participants in the negotiations in Florida and Geneva “about the matters that cannot be discussed over the phone.”

Curiously, he said that “the Russians have already launched new disinformation campaigns in view of preparations for their upcoming meetings with the American side,” presumably referring to the Russian narrative on the situation on battlefield, including Pokrovsk.

“I gave instructions to continue the most constructive work possible with President Trump’s team, as well as with our European partners. Ukrainian intelligence will provide partners with all available information regarding Russia’s true intentions and its attempts to use diplomatic engagement as cover to weaken sanctions and block important collective European decisions,” he said.

Ukrainian opposition MP Inna Sovsun was just speaking on RTÉ radio, explaining the importance of Pokrovsk to Ukraine’s defence of the Donetsk region.

She called the Russian claims that it’s taken over the city “overexaggeration,” even as she admitted that the situation there was difficult for the Ukrainian forces.

She stressed that “if the Russians capture Pokrovsk – which they have not … – they would have pretty easy access to other parts of both the Donetsk region and also to move forward to the Dnipropetrovsk region.”

But she said that the Ukrainian forces “have been protecting those cities for 11 years now,” and the Russians “still couldn’t get the whole territory.”

But asked about Russia’s attempt to create a narrative of inevitability on the battlefield, she said she was also concerned about the collective west – and the US in particular – buying into this logic to put more pressure on Kyiv.

“What we’re seeing over the last week is … America primarily pushing Ukraine towards making a deal, but they’re not pushing Russia so much. They are not actually putting pressure on them to make sure they are willing to compromise,” she said.

She repeatedly urged European leaders to speed up their decision on the use of frozen Russian assets, which she called “the strongest leverage that Europe has.”

“That is why Ukraine’s position right now in the negotiations is, of course, weak … but it’s not only because of the situation the front line, but because of what our friends and allies are doing or not doing to help,” she said.

Asked about the upcoming US-Russia talks in Moscow, she expressed concerns about Witkoff’s reputation as “being on super friendly terms with the Russians.”

She added:

“I’m worried that we have to negotiate our sovereign rights with the Americans, with the country that is supposed to be holding [up] … he rule based order, that is the major problem here.”

Ahead of Putin-Witkoff meeting in Moscow, lots of attention is focusing on the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, an important logistics hub in the eastern Donetsk region, which Moscow claimed to have captured, AFP noted.

But the Ukrainian military says the fighting in the city continues, with Ukrainians reportedly controlling the northern part of the city, and Russians – the souther part.

“Search and assault operations and the elimination of the enemy in urban areas continue in Pokrovsk,” the Ukrainian military’s eastern command wrote on social media, claiming Russian troops that planted a flag in the town’s centre had been beaten back.

The fight over the city comes amid Russian attempts to argue that its forces are making inevitable progress on the battlefield, putting more pressure on Kyiv to agree to a peace deal.

Reuters noted that Russia wants to take the whole of the Donbas region, which comprises the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces. Ukraine still controls about 10% of Donbas – an area of about 5,000 sq km (1,930 sq miles) in mostly northern Donetsk.

Capturing Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka to its northeast, which Russian forces are also trying to envelop, would give Moscow a platform to drive north towards the two biggest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in Donetsk – Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

The agency noted that Pokrovsk would be Moscow’s most important single territorial gain inside Ukraine since it took the ruined city of Avdiivka in early 2024.

But Russia has been threatening Pokrovsk for more than a year. Instead of its full-frontal assaults in earlier battles, such as the bloody campaign for the similar-sized city of Bakhmut, Russia’s military has been using a pincer movement to gradually encircle Pokrovsk and threaten Ukrainian supply lines, Reuters noted.

Deputy prime minister and finance minister Simon Harris stressed the significance of Zelenskyy’s visit for the Ukrainian community in the country.

He told RTÉ:

“There is many, many tens of thousands of people from Ukraine – 125,000 over the duration of the war so far – who’ve come to Ireland to seek refuge here.

Our communities have opened their hearts, they have opened their homes.

Many Ukrainian people are making a really important contribution to our economy today, working in many sectors of the Irish economy. Many Ukrainian children in our schools today and making a positive contribution to our schools as well, and for them today, for the Ukrainian people living in Ireland, it must be an emotional and significant day too.”