Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on a stopover at Shannon Airport.
Mr Zelensky was returning from Canada and the US, where he had addressed the United Nations General Assembly and met world leaders.
He was joined at the meeting today by Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it could confirm it had been a "technical stopover", and no Irish government ministers had been involved.
"The department can confirm this was a technical stopover, with no bilateral element," it said.
"As per normal practice for stopovers at this level, protocol staff of the department were on the ground to offer practical assistance."
A spokesperson for the airport said: "President Zelensky stopped off at Shannon Airport on a transit flight this morning and departed at approximately 12 noon."
In a post on X, Mr Zelensky said: "At Shannon Airport, I held an unscheduled meeting with President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
"I am grateful for Sudan's consistent support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We discussed common security challenges, namely the activities of illegal armed groups financed by Russia.
"I invited him to support the Grain From Ukraine initiative and take part in this year's summit. We considered possible platforms for intensifying cooperation between Ukraine and African countries."
Russia's Wagner mercenary group has operated in Ukraine throughout Moscow's invasion.
Western diplomats and media have said the group is also present in Sudan, although Wagner denied this.
Before he left Canada, Mr Zelensky appealed for greater support for his country's war with Russia.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the General Assembly last night that Ukraine deserves the support of every UN member state and that Russia and its leaders deserve utter condemnation.
Meanwhile, General Burhan has said he is willing to talk to the commander of rebel forces whom he is battling for control of the country.
He said he was ready in principle to sit down with Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is leader of the Rapid Support Forces.
They have been fighting a brutal internal war since April, which the UN says has left more 5,000 people dead and around five million displaced.
At Shannon Airport, I held an unscheduled meeting with President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 23, 2023
I am grateful for Sudan's consistent support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
We discussed common security challenges,… pic.twitter.com/Ntq5KxAfkG
Ukraine says 'senior' Russian officers killed in attack
Ukraine has said that dozens of people, including senior Russian navy commanders, died or were injured when it staged a missile attack on Moscow's Black Sea Fleet headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol.
Ukraine struck the headquarters yesterday, sparking a huge fire.
"The details of the attack will be revealed as soon as possible and the result is dozens of dead and wounded occupants, including senior fleet commanders," the Ukrainian army said.
It said the strike happened when "a meeting of the Russian navy's leadership" was going on.
Ukraine's intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov claimed the attack killed "at least nine people" in comments to Voice of America, including generals.
AFP was not able to verify this information.
Mr Budanov declined to say if Western-made missiles were used in the attack.
Russia has said one of its servicemen was missing after the attack.
Kyiv has vowed to take back Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Additional reporting AFP, Reuters, PA
