Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation is an illegitimate act. Despite the fact that Crimea may have a predominantly ethnic Russian population, it does not provide any justification for it. If we fail to respect the territorial integrity of nations, ultimately it will lead to chaos and much conflict in various areas around the globe. My colleague, Senator Paschal Mooney, put it in sharp focus when he raised the analogy of Sudetenland and Nazi Germany. There is little doubt that the objective of the Russian President, and probably of others within the Russian Administration, is to rebuild and increase its sphere of influence across what was formerly the Soviet bloc. It has implications not only for Ukraine but other countries as well.