He thanked the Irish population for their support, "People of Ireland, since the very first days, you are are supporting good, you are supporting Ukraine," he said.
"You did not doubt [in] starting helping us."
"You began this right away. Although, you are a neutral country, you have not remained neutral to the disaster and to the mishaps that Russia has brought Ukraine," he continued.
The majority of refugees arriving into the country from Ukraine are now being temporarily housed in emergency hotel accommodation. The Government is currently in negotiations to use Citywest Hotel, Dublin as a base for Ukrainian refugees for up to two years.
They are also considering other long-term options. These include funding a program to relet 2,500 empty local authority housing, a nationwide call to identify vacant properties that would be suitable for emergency accommodation, and using emergency provisions from the Planning Act to accelerate new builds, among others.
