Zelenskyy Aims Dig at Ireland in European Council Address

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared to aim a dig at Ireland while addressing the European Council.

During his address, Zelenskyy went through the names of each EC member state and gave a brief opinion on the level of support his country has received from them. When he reached Ireland he commented, "Ireland, well, almost."

Zelenskyy failed to elaborate on why he feels Ireland falls short in supporting his country.

Ireland has taken in over 10,000 refugees from Ukraine, with tens of thousands more expected to arrive due to the government scrapping visa requirements. Ireland has also backed Ukraine's bid for EU membership.

While the country remains militarily neutral, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has repeatedly pointed out that Ireland is not politically neutral, contributing millions worth of non-lethal aid to Ukraine.

On April 6th, Zelenskyy will address the Oireachtas via video link.

Zelenskyy told the European Council he was grateful for sanctions imposed against Russia, but that he felt they were introduced too late.

"These are powerful steps," he told the assembled leaders. "But it was a little late. Because if it had been preventative, Russia would not have gone to war. At least, no-one knows for sure. There was a chance."

He reiterated his appeal to EU leaders to allow Ukraine to join the union.

"You saw that Ukraine should be in the EU in the near future," he said. "Do not be late. Please."