Taoiseach Micheál Martin has told of the impact his visit of Ukraine has left on him after attending a museum which shows the pictures of children killed in the war.
Mr Martin arrived home from Ukraine on Thursday after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He spent a day witnessing the devastation inflicted by invading Russian forces in the conflict-scarred suburbs of Kyiv that have borne the brunt of the offensive on the city.
Read More: Taoiseach Micheal Martin views devastation inflicted by Russian forces on visit to Kyiv, Ukraine
The tour included a visit to the site of a mass grave in the grounds of a church in Bucha.
Speaking back in Dublin, Mr Martin said: “When you’re in a place like Bucha and you have to visualise the Russian troops were there, which was on the outskirts of Kyiv and that the Ukrainian military and people managed to push them back out again.
"That to me demonstrated extraordinary resilience on behalf of the people of Ukraine.
"And then the needless atrocities and deaths, particularly the deaths of children.
“I find it hard to comprehend how any man would start a war which results in the death of so many children.
“As we left Kyiv last evening, there is an exhibition in the railway which documents the terrible scenes we all saw on our TV screens of thousands and thousands of people fleeing to leave.
"Very, very emotional exhibition."
During a visit to a museum, Mr Martin placed a teddy bear at a memorial to the children killed in the conflict.
Mr Martin also said it is "very heartening" to see the EU and the UK working well in its response to the war.
"It’s very clear that they value the range of support that they have had from the European Union and the United Kingdom," he added.
"It brought home to me the importance of our humanitarian response, in terms of our decision very early on, which is very much appreciated by the Ukrainian government, to accept refugees fleeing war, and people who were displaced, fleeing war.
"And also our very strong advocacy for Ukraine to be members of the European Union.
"That was acknowledged and articulated yesterday."
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