Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has met a Ukrainian actor who was assaulted in Dublin last month.
Oleksandr Hrekov was attacked in Dublin city centre shortly after performing at the Abbey Theatre.
He was part of a Kyiv theatre company that had travelled to Dublin to put on a production of Translations by Irish playwright Brian Friel. The actor required stitches in hospital.
Mr Varadkar visited the Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Drama Theatre company in Kyiv on his surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital today.
They performed a song for the Taoiseach before presenting him with a copy of Translations signed by the cast.
Mr Varadkar then spoke with Mr Hrekov, asking if he was doing okay, to which he replied, through a translator: "Yes, everything is fine, everything is perfect."
The Taoiseach said: "I'm sorry for what happened. Dublin is my home town, but sometimes not 100% safe, unfortunately."
The young actor's reply was: "All places are like that."
Mr Varadkar told members of the theatre company that he hoped the group's performances at the Abbey, can continue.
"Perhaps we can have an Irish company come here and perform here as well," he told performers.
"We were talking about this earlier, but I know from our history theatre and art was a very important part of our national identity, because we were part of the United Kingdom and we were almost overwhelmed by English culture.
"Art and music and language and theatre was very important for us in protecting our Irish identity and I know in Ukraine you are fighting now to affirm your identity as a nation, and I think the arts is a very important part of that too."
