Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris has welcomed the address given by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Ireland third-level students today.
The Ukrainian President addressed more than 1,000 third-level students and special guests at an event in The Helix at Dublin City University this lunchtime, with a live-stream of the event also being broadcast to more than 20 college campuses across the country.
In his address, President Zelenskyy said:
“I thank you for the incredible warmth you have given our people, Ireland has welcomed 63,000 Ukrainian citizens and I am grateful to you. The Irish Government and society have helped Ukraine in many ways and while Ireland has a neutral status you are absolutely not neutral in your attitude and assistance to the Ukrainian people.”
The President also took questions from students, who asked about the impact of Russia’s illegal invasion on university life, how students could best support Ukraine, the effect of social media as a new frontier in warfare, and if he believes there is a diplomatic solution to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking following today’s event, Minister Harris said:
“It was my great pleasure to introduce President Zelenskyy this afternoon and to reaffirm Ireland’s strong commitment to ending the war in Ukraine.
“While Ireland is a neutral country, we are not, nor can we afford to be, morally or politically neutral on this issue. That is why we will continue to support EU sanctions against Russia to hold its leaders accountable for their actions and through our membership of the UN Security Council continue to urge them to immediately end the war in Ukraine.
“Since early March, we have welcomed over 57,000 displaced Ukrainians fleeing to our shores and the higher education sector is to be commended for being open, proactive and positive in facilitating the continued education of those arriving from Ukraine. We now have over 300 Ukrainian students enrolled in higher education and an additional 16,000 in further education courses.
“We can all be proud of what we have done to ensure that Putin’s unprovoked aggression will not ruin the lives of the next generation of Ukrainians but that with our continued support we will bring an end to this senseless war and ensure they have the capacity to help rebuild Ukraine back stronger than ever before.”
Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko who attended the event, said:
“I would like to thank the teams of the Department of Further and Higher Education, DCU and other universities for making today’s event happen. Such events are vital in our common fight against Russian propaganda and information warfare. I am confident that Irish students value democracy, freedom, human rights, and they will remain on the side of truth.”