John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ms Klympush-Tsintsadze and the ambassador are again very welcome before our committee. Unfortunately, there is no end to the war in sight. We are now heading into the fourth month of a brutal invasion and assault on Ukraine, its sovereignty and its people. I again express solidarity with the ambassador, with Ms Klympush-Tsintsadze and with the entirety of the Ukrainian people. A lot has been covered in terms of EU accession. Ms Klympush-Tsintsadze highlighted the issue of sceptical countries. I believe we all know which countries they are. Perhaps, we should name them. They include Germany and France. Perhaps Ms Klympush-Tsintsadze would like to put others on the record here. What engagement, if any, has been under way with those sceptical countries to make them see right and to allow this process to move on?

The other day, President Zelenskyy said that, at this point, diplomacy is the only way to bring the war to an end. What moves are now taking place? The Russians have said that the peace talks are now at a dead end. There was a very unhelpful and disgraceful intervention by the disgraced war criminal, Henry Kissinger, yesterday or the day before. He stated that Ukraine must cede territory to bring the war to an end. I would like to get a view on that. It is an absolutely disgraceful comment for anyone to make but I am not surprised to hear it coming from someone like Henry Kissinger.

Ireland's support for the investigation at the ICC was touched on. I note that the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has now opened more than 13,000 investigations into war crimes. We saw the first prosecution the other day, which is to be welcomed, but is there capacity to deal with that volume of investigations? People absolutely need to be held to account, as does the Russian Federation, but is there capacity to deal with that volume of investigations? What assistance is Ukraine getting in that respect and what additional assistance is required?

On the issue of food security, I will not labour my point because many people have spoken about it already. I was in New York last week. I attended the UN Security Council debate on food security. I heard at first hand of the impact that is being felt, the concerns and the fears that Russia is now using food insecurity as a threat against the world. At the same time, we see convoys of Russian trucks leaving Ukraine loaded with grain and headed for Russia. We have been told that it may take direct negotiations with Russia to end the blockade on the seaports to ensure that grain can flow freely to sub-Saharan countries, other African countries and other countries that are 100% dependent on this grain. What conversations, if any, are taking place? Is there scope for conversations or discussions of that nature?

I have a couple of other points. I was part of the delegation from this committee that went to Romania and Moldova.

I have seen first-hand the generosity and warmth shown to Ukrainian refugees fleeing over the border. There was a major concern in Moldova about the situation, including in Transnistria. Overnight, we saw the former Moldovan president being arrested on high treason and corruption charges, which I am sure will add to the instability in Moldova. There is a real concern there about the Russian objective to move farther west, to Odesa, to block access to the Black Sea. We have seen the continuous missile attacks on Odesa. There was concern that if there was a full frontal assault on Odesa, up to 100,000 refugees would flee the border at Palanca. What discussions are taking place? Hopefully it never comes to the point that there is a full frontal assault on Odesa. What discussions have taken place with border control in Moldova to ensure that some issues experienced there are addressed?

On the broader issue of refugees, I note that 345,000 refugees in Poland have gone back over the border into Ukraine. We now see more refugees returning to Ukraine than are leaving. It is good to see Ukrainians heading home. Obviously, it is different in the east of Ukraine, where Russia's primary focus is at this point. Ukraine had bravely defended Kyiv and Kharkiv and Ukrainians obviously feel that it is now a little safer to return home. What capacity is there in Ukraine to deal with returning refugees?

Many countries have moved to reopen their embassies in Kyiv, including the USA, Denmark, Switzerland and the UK. I have asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, repeatedly, to look at reopening our embassy in Kyiv as a mark of solidarity and support. He said the Department is constantly evaluating the security situation. There is a concern about Irish diplomatic staff and no one would want to put them in a dangerous situation but other countries have moved to reopen their embassies. How important do the ambassador and chair think it is for countries like Ireland to reopen their embassies as a show of solidarity and goodwill at this difficult time? I thank the Chair, the speaker and the ambassador.