The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD, has announced an additional €40 million in humanitarian and long-term development aid for Ukraine in response to Russia’s ongoing war of aggression. This funding builds on a €25 million contribution announced in February for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, bringing Ireland’s total support for 2026 to €65 million, marking the country’s largest humanitarian and development contribution to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The humanitarian situation in Ukraine remains critical more than four years into the conflict, with around 11 million people expected to need assistance in 2026, including nearly four million internally displaced persons. Ireland’s funding will provide emergency shelter, medical care, maternal healthcare, and other essential supports, particularly for children and those living in frontline areas, delivered through trusted partners such as UN agencies and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The €40 million package includes over €26 million for immediate humanitarian aid and nearly €14 million for long-term development and peacebuilding, with €2 million allocated to Moldova to address spillover effects from the war. Development support will focus on civil protection infrastructure, healthcare, nutrition, support for women and children, human rights monitoring, and advancing Ukraine’s path toward EU membership.
Minister McEntee highlighted the scale of the crisis and Ireland’s commitment to providing practical, targeted assistance to those most affected, emphasizing the importance of supporting Ukraine’s recovery, dignity, and sovereignty. Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond TD, stressed that the funding will strengthen lifelines provided by UN partners and underlined Ireland’s continued support for Ukraine during its upcoming EU Presidency.
Humanitarian allocations from the funding include €7 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross, €5 million to the UN-managed Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, €5 million to the UN Refugee Agency, €4 million to the UN Population Fund, €3 million to UNICEF, and €2.5 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Development and peacebuilding funds of €13.8 million will support civil protection shelters, electoral systems, child protection reforms, healthcare, nutrition, human rights monitoring, societal resilience, and Ukraine’s EU accession pathway.
Earlier in January 2026, Minister McEntee approved €25 million to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund to support critical energy infrastructure. During her visit to Ukraine, she participated in an informal Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Kyiv and visited Bucha to commemorate the city’s liberation and honor victims of Russian aggression.
