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There are four Irish babies newly born to surrogate Ukrainian mothers in a maternity hospital in the country’s capital Kyiv, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said.
Mr Varadkar disclosed details about the previously unknown number of babies in Ukraine while making the case against the expulsion of Russia’s ambassador to Ireland Yuriy Filatov.
The Fine Gael leader was speaking about the need to maintain relations with Russia despite growing public and political calls for Mr Filatov’s expulsion over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“There are four babies in the Ukraine at the moment in a maternity hospital in Kyiv and that hospital could be under Russian occupation within weeks. We need to be able to talk to the Russians,” he told RTÉ’s News at One.
Irish couples having babies through surrogacy mothers via private clinics in Ukraine have urged the Government not to expel Mr Filatov over concerns that they may not be able to get their children out of the war zone should the Russians take control of Ukraine.
Residents of Kyiv face increased risks of attack from the Kremlin’s advance on the Ukrainian capital as satellite images show a large Russian military convoy heading towards Kyiv.
Russia’s defence ministry warned residents of Kyiv on Tuesday to leave their homes ahead of planned military strikes on Ukrainian government buildings in and around the city.
Fine Gael Senator Mary Seery Kearney, who is helping the Irish couples, said there was a need to keep “a diplomatic line open” with the Russians in the event that the Government needs to call on Moscow’s assistance to evacuate the Irish babies.
She said that “all options” were being explored to find ways to evacuate the newborn Irish citizens with “probably the most secure one being a humanitarian corridor” to allow civilians to evacuate Kyiv through a safe channel out of the country.
She pointed to past conflicts where humanitarian groups such as refugee agencies, the UNHCR and the International Red Cross, were permitted to assist civilians in war zones.
“It is very hard for the parents. We continue to have dialogue and support the parents in what is an extraordinarily difficult situation for them,” said Ms Seery Kearney.
Support group Irish Families Through Surrogacy said it was in regular contact with the parents of the babies and other affected families but declined to comment further.
“We are just trying to ensure their safety and security,” said a spokeswoman for the group.
Ukraine is a popular location for Irish couples seeking to have babies via surrogate mothers with 14 Irish babies due to be born in the country between February and May of this year.