Ukraine war: Zelensky plays down Biden’s Putin gaffe as he arrives in Ireland

Below, we have two photos taken from Ukraine showing the toll Russia’s full-scale invasion is taking not just on the military defending the country but also civilians still living there.

The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued a video update on the prevalence of sexual violence in Ukraine, perpetrated by the Russian military.

Below, you can see Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky speaking with Irish taoiseach Simon Harris in Shannon Airport.

To Mr Zelensky’s left is Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s defence minister, and on the far end of the table is the Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko.

Russian shelling of Ukraine‘s Kherson region has killed two people, local officials said, as the two countries exchanged drone attacks.

Two others were wounded in the attack close to the regional capital, said Oleksandr Prokudin, governor of the partly occupied Kherson region.

Poland is considering a proposal from Kyiv to shoot down Russian missiles flying towards Polish territory while they are still in Ukraine’s airspace.

Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski told the American Enterprise Institute in Washington that they were considering such a move but only with the approval of Nato.

Warsaw, an alliance member, frequently scrambles fighter jets to protect Polish airspace as Russian forces launch large-scale aerial attacks on Ukraine.

“At this stage, this is an idea. What our agreement said is we will explore this idea,” Mr Sikorski said, calling the potential move self-defence.

Last year, a Russian missile entered Polish airspace, putting the country’s defenses on high alert. In another incident on Nov. 15, 2022, a missile flew onto Polish territory during a Russian mass attack, killing two civilians. Polish investigators later concluded that it was a stray Ukrainian anti-air projectile launched to intercept the Russian attack.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to US president Joe Biden calling him “Putin” during the Nato summit.

After arriving in Ireland, Mr Zelensky was asked to speak about the gaffe for the first time since it happened on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters from Shannon Airport, Co Clare, Mr Zelensky described the gaffe as a simple “mistake”.

“ I think the United States gave a lot of support to Ukrainians,” he said. “We can forget some mistakes, I think so.”

Below we have some background on Ireland’s relationship with Ukraine as president Volodymyr Zelensky holds talks with taoiseach Simon Harris.

Ireland’s ability to support Ukraine militarily is limited but their armed forces have trained 455 Ukrainian personnel in demining, battlefield casualty care and the use of non-lethal mine clearance equipment.

The country has also provided €250 million (£210m) in non-lethal military assistance to Ukraine under the European Peace Facility, while they have welcomed over 108,000 Ukrainians under the EU Temporary Protection Directive.

The two leaders have met before, speaking last month on the sidelines of the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland.

Ireland is also a member of Ukraine’s International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children (ICRUC), co-chaired by Labour Baroness Helena Kennedy, which focuses on how to return the roughly 19,000 children forcibly deported by Russia to the occupied territories and mainland Russia.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Irish taoiseach Simon Harris have been pictured holding a bilateral meeting at Shannon Airport, Co Clare.

Mr Zelensky was also pictured being greeted by Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko.

Asked by reporters for his message to Ireland upon arrival, Mr Zelensky said: “First of all, thank you so much for your support, thanks to Ireland for hosting a lot of Ukrainian refugees, you were with us from the very beginning of the Russian invasion.”