Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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Good afternoon to the ambassador and her team. I thank her for her excellent opening statement. I also acknowledge members of the diplomatic community who are present in the Public Gallery. It is the fullest I have seen the Public Gallery in four years. It is great to see such support and solidarity among the diplomatic community.

I agree with the ambassador entirely on what she outlined regarding Putin having no interest whatsoever in negotiation, just capitulation. She has summed it up perfectly. If Putin were interested in peace, he would not have started the war in the first place and he would not be continuing the war. If he is genuinely interested in peace, all he has to do is withdraw his troops and the war ends. Russia is a big enough country. It does not need any more land. I agree entirely with the ambassador on that.

I have about four questions. The first relates to the recent peace conference in Switzerland. Has a date been set for a second conference? If the ambassador knows that, it would be great to hear it. The ambassador mentioned that there are 17 formal bilateral agreements between Ukraine and other countries. I notice Ireland is missing from that list.

Are negotiations ongoing to produce a bilateral agreement? Are negotiations scheduled? If there were to be an agreement between Ireland and Ukraine, would this be welcomed?

My next question concerns North Korean support for Russia. I am very concerned about this situation. There have been reports of 5 million artillery shells moving towards Russia. What would be the thoughts of the ambassador in this regard?

My last question is quite a technical one. As the ambassador is aware, discussions are under way in Ireland on lethal and non-lethal aid. Ireland is giving Ukraine only non-lethal aid and quite a lot of money to purchase non-lethal stores such as communications, medical and transport equipment and fuel. My view, and that of several Members of Parliament here, is that air defence should be included in that non-lethal category, particularly because the ammunition being targeted at the Ukrainian energy network consists of missiles and unmanned drones. It is not possible to have a lethal effect against something that is not alive. My view is that we should include air defence radars and air defence interceptor equipment and technology in the non-lethal category.

Were Ireland to purchase air defence equipment, could it be technically ensured by Ukraine that it would only be deployed around Kyiv, for instance, so it would only be possible to use it in a non-lethal capacity? We know Kyiv is being attacked by non-living pieces of metal flying through the air. Would it be welcomed if Ireland were to include air defence technology in the non-lethal aid category?

I have more of a comment than a question to finish. The current programme for Government is quite restrictive regarding the amount of assistance we can give to Ukraine. I very much look forward to the next programme for Government having much more latitude and supporting Ukraine even more than we already do.

Those are my four questions. The first concerned the date for a second peace conference. The second was whether a bilateral agreement between Ireland and Ukraine would be welcomed. The third was on the ambassador's concerns regarding North Korean ammunition supply to Russia. The last was on the air defence aspect and whether the ambassador could reassure the committee that if such aid were provided, it would be used exclusively in a non-lethal fashion. I thank the ambassador very much.