Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ms Shaloput is very welcome. I thank her for the very clear presentation. I agree entirely with what the Chairman and Deputy O'Brien have said. We are very concerned about the situation in Ukraine and fully support on the committee the national sovereignty of Ms Shaloput's country and its territorial integrity. Individually and as a committee, we have questioned the Russian ambassador here about his country's invasion, its illegal annexation of Crimea and its support for the separatists in the Donbass region. We have been highly critical of Russian intervention and aggression in the region. We are conscious of other countries like Georgia and their concerns about the spread of Russian dominance.

I have three specific questions about how we can assist Ukraine to make progress. With the Minsk process stalled or frozen and persistent violations of the ceasefire, how can the EU and individual member states like Ireland support the peace process? Ukraine is calling in particular for the strengthening of sanctions. Can Ms Shaloput outline how the strengthening of sanctions might support developments in the peace process?

There is a great deal of concern about the safety of monitors in the region and the incident in April in which an American monitor was killed while two others were injured. These are monitors with the special monitoring mission. What can we do to enhance the safety of monitors in the region? Clearly, there is a need for NGOs and organisations like the OSCE to be able to send people there in safely.

Ukrainian visitors and delegations have come to Ireland to study our peace process. How can we help Ukraine from an Irish perspective to further its process, having been through peace process negotiations here?