Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has held a meeting with a senior official from Sudan during a “technical stopover” in Ireland.
Mr Zelenskiy stopped at Shannon Airport on the west coast of Ireland as he returned to Europe from North America, where he addressed the UN Security Council in New York.
He also met with US president Joe Biden at the White House, addressed the Canadian parliament in Ottawa, as well as talks with the country’s prime minister Justin Trudeau.
On Saturday, Mr Zelenskiy shared a photograph of him holding a meeting with the president of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, at Shannon Airport.
“I am grateful for Sudan’s consistent support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
At Shannon Airport, I held an unscheduled meeting with President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
I am grateful for Sudan's consistent support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
We discussed common security challenges,… pic.twitter.com/Ntq5KxAfkG— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 23, 2023
“We discussed common security challenges, namely the activities of illegal armed groups financed by Russia.
“I invited him to support the Grain From Ukraine initiative and take part in this year’s summit.
“We considered possible platforms for intensifying cooperation between Ukraine and African countries.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it could confirm it had been a “technical stopover”, and no Government ministers had been involved.
“The department can confirm this was a technical stopover, with no bilateral element,” they said.
“As per normal practice for stopovers at this level, protocol staff of the department were on the ground to offer practical assistance.”
