David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I take it the Russian ambassador has been invited to the Department on more than one occasion recently to hear the Minister's views and those of Ireland on this issue. I assume those views have been expressed very openly such that the Russian Government can be no under no illusion as to how we feel. Will the Minister comment on that?

Has the €11 million that is to be provided under the European peace facility been paid over yet? Is the equipment being purchased centrally through Europe or are we doing it ourselves? I heard a person from Ukraine on television the other night saying that flak jackets, helmets and other defensive and protective equipment are badly needed there.

The Minister said that Ireland is deeply committed to, and supports, the application of Ukraine to join the European Union. Where does he see that going? Can it be fast-tracked and, if so, would that have an impact on the European peace mechanism whereby different European states are committed to support each other in the event of their being attacked? If that happened, what would the impact be? There are some countries that are ambivalent, to say the least, about what is going on. Have the Government and the EU done anything to try to persuade them to be more objective in their interaction with the dreadful situation that is going on in Ukraine? India and China, for instance, come to mind, as well as others. If they were to be more vocal, it might assist in some way.