H.E. Mr. Igor Pokojný:

I thank the Chairman. We all hope that it will end as soon as possible, but unfortunately it does not look like that will happen because Russia is very clear that it wants to fulfil its aim to take control of Ukraine and it does not matter how that is being covered. Ukraine and the rest of the democratic world is also very clear that they will not accept it.

The blitzkrieg has not happened for Russia, which means that it looks like it will take some time to get somewhere. This is why sanctions are important. Without support and finance for the war, Russia could not bear all of the burden. We hope it will end as soon as possible, but we do not know how long it will take. We can now see that the Russian military is targeting and bombing civilian areas and targets, such as hospitals, schools and residential areas. I am afraid that in that sense things will escalate a little bit. It is also perhaps a sign that Russians are trying to help themselves as much as possible by doing practically anything. We hope it will end as soon as possible.

I am really thankful for the opportunity to be here. I consider this a very useful exchange of views. It was also very useful for me to hear the views of the committee and what they think about this, because Ireland is on the western side of the European Union. Nonetheless, it is also part of it, and is very involved in this process and helping the Ukrainian people as much as possible. The positive side is that Ukraine is not alone and we are here to help and show an example of what we can do. This is what the European Union is about, namely helping colleagues and people. I thank the committee.