Ireland has identified support for Ukraine as one of the main priorities of its upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2026.
Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee made the statement during a press conference in Dublin alongside EU High Representative Kaja Kallas.
“Strong support for Ukraine will be one of the defining priorities of Ireland during our presidency,” she said.
The minister stressed that Europe’s support for Ukraine “must remain unwavering for as long as it takes.”
“Today we discussed EU support for Ukraine, the work already done, and, of course, the need to continue putting pressure on Russia to end this conflict, including through tough sanctions,” McEntee said.
She also noted that Ireland is investigating the Aughinish Alumina plant, which supplies alumina to Russia for aluminum production. At present, alumina exports to Russia are not directly prohibited under sanctions, unlike finished aluminum.
According to McEntee, once the investigation is completed, Ireland will pass the collected information to the European Commission for further decisions regarding sanctions policy.
“We will ensure full Irish support for any decisions that need to be taken to apply pressure on Russia,” the foreign minister added.
