Ireland will pledge an additional €325,000 to the Council of Europe, the Taoiseach announced at the Council’s summit in Reykjavik.
These funds benefit the European Court of Human Rights and those working with opposition groups in Belarus, reports RTE.
The Council had a funding shortfall after it was decided last year that Russia could no longer be a member of the organization founded in 1949.
The heads of state and government of the 46 Member States of the Council came tonight in the capital of Iceland for the fourth time at the level of summits.
The Prime Minister of Iceland, Katrin Jakobsdottir, said that the council stands by Ukraine and commends its position against the war against European values, reports RTE.
She called on Russia to withdraw from Ukraine as “a first step” to ending the war.
The Reykjavik summit is about reaffirming core values at a time of democratic backsliding, she said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke remotely at the summit tonight.
He said that “all life were protected” and thanked European leaders for their support.
“If we are able to do this, is there anything we can’t do if we are united?” he asked the Council Leaders, reports RTE.
He called for fighter jets, saying that no air defense could be perfect without them.
The president of Ukraine said that a tribunal must be established to deal with Russian violence and a comprehensive compensation structure should be implemented.
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