Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I remind the ambassador that I have great respect, admiration and affiliation with the people in Ukraine. I do not distinguish in my attitudes to the Ukrainians. I do not distinguish between those from the east and those from the west. I do not distinguish in my definition of a Ukrainian between Russian speakers, Romanian speakers, Ukrainian speakers, Hungarian speakers or Polish speakers. My vision of Ukraine is as a united entity. I have been critical of the fact that the west, through the European Union, did not pay due consideration to the rights, role and significance of Russian speaking Ukrainians. When they were forging the eastern partnership, unfortunately, from my political perspective and view of life, they neglected desperately an engagement and dialogue on the future of Ukraine in an agreement with the European Union. They spoke with those they thought were the pro-western, pro-European side. I have been critical of Europe in that it should have seen the tell-tale signs when Armenia pulled out of the partnership under duress from Russia. Antennae should have gone up and attention should have been paid to what the Russians were doing to pressurise those countries engaging with Europe in the context of an eastern partnership.

I will not apologise in saying to the ambassador that terrible mistakes were made in Kiev. The role of Europe was very important when the French, Poles and Germans negotiated an agreement with the ambassador's Government. They negotiated that very important agreement on 21 February 2014. As Europe was looking for a long period for the release of Tymoshenko, she was released. She did not do the Ukrainian cause any great favours by asking those at the barricades to continue the very next day after the agreement was made with the French, Poles and Germans.