Tim Carr

I thank Ireland for its unwavering support for Ukraine, for our defense, and for our people. We have always received Ireland’s full understanding of what is happening in Ukraine and, most importantly, of how unjust Russia’s aggression is – against Ukraine and against normal, peaceful life in Europe. Today, during my meeting with Micheál Martin @MichealMartinTD, I briefed the Taoiseach on the situation in our country, on what is happening on the front line and how difficult it is for us to restore our infrastructure after Russian strikes. I am grateful for Ireland’s readiness to help and for the support packages it provides. We agreed that Ireland will take an active part in the Shelter Coalition. Thank you for this contribution. Today, we also discussed the details of our Drone Deal with Ireland. The priority is naval drones and security at sea. We are ready to help Ireland with this.

I met with President of Lithuania @GitanasNauseda. We are coordinating as closely as possible on all matters related to our efforts to achieve peace. I briefed Gitanas on the meetings that took place in Abu Dhabi these days. Most importantly, we managed to reach an agreement on a prisoner exchange, and we expect it to be a large one. We also discussed assistance for Ukraine’s energy sector, as well as logistical support. The situation is very difficult in many Ukrainian cities right now, and we understand which facilities can become targets of new Russian attacks. Lithuania will provide some of the equipment we need. The decision has already been made, and we are awaiting delivery. Thank you! We are also preparing for Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2027. We are doing everything to open all clusters by the end of 2026, so that during Lithuania’s Presidency we can move on to closing the negotiating chapters. I shared with Gitanas some ideas that could speed up this process, and Lithuania is fully supportive. Thank you for your readiness to help us!

I want to highlight Europe’s work on sanctions. Sanctions are necessary. This applies both to individual sanctions against Russian entities working for Putin and his system, and to businesses through which Russia obtains scarce components, equipment, and machine tools to produce weapons – including ballistic missiles, attack drones, and communications systems. We ask all our partners in Europe and around the world to focus on this. We must restrict Russia’s weapons production, and this is one of the best ways to push Russia toward taking real steps toward peace. Our Ukrainian long-range sanctions are working. Russian weapons production facilities are within range of our long-range capabilities. And the main thing is to ensure that our partners support these efforts – legally, economically, and politically. I thank everyone in Europe who is working to strengthen sanctions. I said this during a joint press conference with Micheál Martin @MichealMartinTD.