Taoiseach Micheál Martin has spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and told him that the Irish people stand fully behind his country.
He said Mr Zelensky thanked Ireland for its continued humanitarian aid, shelter, global support and sanctions against Russia.
More than 7,000 people fleeing the war have now arrived in Ireland from Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters in Washington DC, Mr Martin said there would be significant costs arising from the war in Ukraine and that additional expenditure to support people arriving in Ireland should be targeted.
He said the Government would not be able to shield the Irish population from the full impact of the Russian invasion, adding that accommodation costs would be significant.
There will be a price for this war, he said.
"No one can be certain what will happen over the course of 2022 in respect of the economic situation," he said.
"The projections are still that Ireland will grow and that we will not be in recession, but this could unfold in a number of different ways and we can't be certain about that at all."
Mr Martin said Ireland is not politically or morally neutral and as the world changes, Ireland’s position must evolve with that change.
The Taoiseach has said Irish neutrality should evolve with changing times.
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 16, 2022
Speaking in Washington DC, Micheál Martin said Ireland's military neutrality did not mean the country was politically or morally neutral on the Russian invasion of Ukraine | https://t.co/S9JZoeoxlI pic.twitter.com/xJLDjC2qyv
He said Ireland is not a military power and its greatest strength is its humanitarian and peacekeeping side.
Mr Martin said Ireland's position as a military neutral country has not in any way prevented or impaired the European Union as a collective from doing what it had to do.
He said Ireland was able to participate in the €50m towards non-lethal help, adding that it is important to maintain consensus on the issue.
"It’s by no means clear that the consensus is that we should end our military neutrality right now, nor do I think it would be correct to do it in the middle of this crisis," he said.
"Rather to focus on the short-term pragmatic approaches we can take to support the Ukrainian people that we are doing in the context of our European membership, that’s the way I think this should be handled and managed.
"I believe the broader issue of military neutrality does need reflection, and I’ll be straight up about that as someone who’s been a supporter of that.
"I think the world is changing, but we’re a country that brings values to the table that in a different time we need to examine in an informed way, that’s why I’ve put forward the idea of a Citizens’ Assembly."
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Ireland seeks advice from Germany on housing refugees
The Tánaiste has said Ireland is taking advice from countries like Germany and Sweden where large numbers of refugees were previously accommodated in a short space of time.
A total of 7,235 people have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine in the last two-and-a-half weeks, according to the latest figures from the ports and airports.
This includes 589 people who travelled here yesterday, 338 of whom immediately sought accommodation from State services.
The total number of people from Ukraine who asked for a place to live here now stands at 2,589.
Speaking to business representatives today, Leo Varadkar said the Government would aim to help employers who want to provide employment to arriving Ukrainians.
This meeting of the Enterprise Forum heard some businesses want to extend their involvement in the humanitarian response and offer jobs to arrivals from Ukraine.
The Tánaiste attended the meeting remotely from Colombia where he is travelling as part of the St Patrick's Day programme of ministerial overseas missions.
The three main issues raised by business representatives were difficulties in supply chains in Europe and around the world, recent increases in the cost of raw materials and foodstuffs, and energy security and prices.
Concerns were also expressed about medicine shortages in Ukraine and more broadly in Eastern Europe.
Mr Varadkar said that while the Government cannot resolve all the problems with supply chains and energy supplies, it will do all it can to mitigate the impact on businesses and households.
However, he warned that while the hope is that the crisis can be resolved within a matter of months, there is no guarantee this will be the case.
Work to secure accommodation for arriving Ukrainians
Work is under way to ensure there is adequate accommodation for those arriving in the next few days with the current availability described as "very tight".
It is proving very difficult to find space in hotels in recent days given the large number of tourists arriving into the country for St Patrick's Day.
However, some of the offers of accommodation from members of the public will be taken up in the next few days.
This is likely to initially focus on vacant properties of which around 4,000 have been pledged.
Officials from the Red Cross and the Department of Children and Integration are inspecting several properties today.
Work to vet those who have pledged accommodation is also under way with gardaí assisting in this task.
Religious orders too have offered properties and this is likely to be further examined at a meeting this afternoon.
Local authorities are also set to play a role in both providing accommodation and co-ordinating efforts on the ground.
Working groups were this morning established in several councils across the country to facilitate this effort.
Meanwhile, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris has proposed that the EU's Erasmus programme could fund a scheme to remove financial and regulatory barriers for Ukrainian students wishing to continue their studies in the EU.
