Ms Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze:

-----dream that, with our work, after the end of this war and the victory of Ukraine, it will become possible for us to get through. It is very important that this strategic ambiguity on Ukraine's European perspective from some of the European Union member states is dissolved. We are trying our best but Ireland's voice, arguments and explanations to its colleagues would be crucial in that and so I am calling on it to help us to get this first important stage done.

With regard to the war, unfortunately this night was not the exception. Again, some civilian targets in Pryvillia and Zaporizhzhia have been hit. Fierce fighting is ongoing in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. Air alerts are threatening the whole country. That means we are very much dependent on the instruments to fight back. I know about the military neutrality of Ireland but I appreciate all the non-lethal aid it has been giving Ukraine. It is very much needed so our incredibly brave, courageous and professional armed forces will be protected. We are also reaching out to all the nations that can give us heavy weaponry to do that as fast as possible because time matters and time means the lives of civilians. You cannot defend your country bare-handed. That is why that is another very important issue for us.

On top of military support, we appreciate it when nations take a political stance. That is exactly what Ireland is doing. I am watching how Switzerland is redefining its neutrality by going from active neutrality to co-operative neutrality. That is very important in terms of those sanctions that it has joined. It is heartbreaking for us to watch how the sixth package of sanctions is not being adopted and is still being postponed. One of the countries of the EU, irrespective of the basic value written in the European agreement on solidarity, is violating that basic principle of solidarity value. I will be blunt about this. It is holding hostage the full decision of the EU on starting the process of embargoing Russian oil and cutting off Russian banks from SWIFT. I believe we need all Russian banks to be cut off from SWIFT. Only then will those sanctions really work because many people are using the loopholes in sanctions to avoid them. Gazprombank is one example. I am appalled by the decision that German and Italian companies can pay through Gazprombank in rubles for the energy resources. That is totally wrong and is in discontent with all the sanctions that have already been adopted. We know that, unfortunately, Russia is buying weaponry through Gazprombank, paying salaries to its soldiers to continue killing us Ukrainians and continuing its terrorist activities in the territory of Ukraine.