H.E. Ms Larysa Gerasko:

It is an honour to address this distinguished committee and provide an update on the current situation in Ukraine, including the ongoing colonial war, the challenges we face and the critical support we continue to need. Let me begin by expressing, on behalf of the people of Ukraine, our sincere gratitude for Ireland's unwavering support during this unprecedented and deeply challenging time. Above all, we are profoundly grateful to the Irish Government and the people of Ireland for their immediate and steadfast support for the Ukrainian people displaced by Russia's war of aggression.

Today marks 1,329 days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a war of conquest and denial, not only against our territorial integrity but against our very right to exist as a free and democratic nation. This is the largest and most brutal war Europe has witnessed in generations. Its consequences extend far beyond Ukraine, threatening global security and undermining the rules-based international order.

Over the past month, the intensity of Russian aggression has escalated. In the first six months of the year, the Russian army launched over 30,000 guided aerial bombs, over 11,000 Shahed drones, over 9,000 other types of attack drones and more than 1,000 missiles, including ballistic ones.

This is not simply warfare; this is state-sponsored terrorism against civilians, calculated, deliberate and industrial in its cruelty. Russia strikes under the cover of night, like a predator - a thief of life - exposing the cowardice and brutality that define its campaign. Faced with this reality, we urge our partners to strengthen Ukraine's air defence and continue providing non-lethal military assistance. Each missile or drone intercepted means lives saved and infrastructure preserved.

The battlefield situation remains extremely tense. Moscow pours vast resources into achieving its goals, deploying every soldier, every shell, every drone it can muster. Yet, despite suffering heavy losses, it has failed to achieve a single strategic objective this year. Thanks to the courage of Ukraine's defenders and the steadfast support of our international partners, Russia is not winning and Ukraine is not losing. Cities and towns across the country face daily shelling. Entire communities are being levelled. What Russia cannot control, it seeks to destroy.

The Kremlin's war goes far beyond the battlefield. One of its key objectives is to cripple Ukraine's energy sector - to freeze our people, paralyse essential services and collapse our economy. Since February 2022, Ukraine has lost 9.2 GW of generating capacity. Nearly 80% of our thermal power generation is destroyed, and over 800 district heating facilities have been damaged or ruined. Distribution networks have also suffered significant losses. The Russians have struck severely, damaging oil and gas infrastructure, as well as storage facilities. The scale and co-ordination of these strikes have increased dramatically, with drones and missiles deployed in record numbers.

As a result, more than 12 million families now face the prospect of freezing temperatures in the coming winter. Across the country, Ukrainian repair teams are working around the clock to restore power and keep essential services running. The extent of the damage is enormous and much of the destroyed equipment must be rebuilt from scratch. Ukraine urgently needs sustained international support for its energy sector, including new and refurbished equipment to restore critical infrastructure. This is not about power, but about people. It is about ensuring that Russia's campaign of intimidation fails and that solidarity and resilience prevail. We appreciate Ireland's support in helping to restore Ukraine's critical infrastructure, particularly in the energy sector, by providing generators and other essential equipment that has helped stabilise this vital system.

Russia continues its relentless assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, accompanied by cyber attacks and nuclear blackmail. This deadly combination endangers not only Ukraine, but the entire continent. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, recently lost stable external power for nearly three weeks and had to rely on emergency diesel generators. On 6 October, the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, recorded multiple shelling incidents near the facility. A single strike could unleash a nuclear catastrophe that would endanger all of Europe. Recently, a Russian missile strike cut power to Chornobyl, a chilling reminder of a tragedy that still lives in our memory. We Ukrainians continue to carry the bitter legacy of Chornobyl 1986, a disaster that taught the world a painful truth: once unleashed, nuclear danger knows no borders, no flags, no nations.

Distinguished members of the committee, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues to cause immense human suffering and economic devastation. Families have lost their homes, thousands of businesses have been destroyed, and key sectors of the economy remain deeply disrupted. A just recovery requires not only assistance, but accountability. The lawful use of frozen Russian assets must become central to reconstruction - to rebuild infrastructure, support victims, and enable the return of displaced Ukrainians. Nearly $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets remain frozen globally, including €1.87 billion in Ireland. These resources must serve peace, not remain unused while destruction continues.

We wish to express our gratitude to Ireland for its consistent and principled support - humanitarian, economic, and political - from non-lethal assistance and stabilisation programmes to the construction of shelters in schools, de-mining, restoration of critical infrastructure, etc. We also commend its clear stance on the fair and lawful use of frozen Russian assets. Ukraine’s recovery is already underway. Even under attack, communities are rebuilding and businesses are reopening. Swift international support can accelerate this progress and promote lasting stability. The Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome secured over €15 billion in agreements, including support for defence and resilience, which are vital for long-term growth. We value Ireland’s continued contribution and encourage Irish businesses to engage in Ukraine’s recovery. Even during war, Ukraine remains open for investment, offering strong partnerships and shared opportunities for peace and prosperity.

Dear Deputies and Senators, Russia’s ability to sustain its war effort depends on circumventing international and EU sanctions. It continues to acquire restricted technologies through third-country channels and shadow networks, including components manufactured in Europe. Each loophole in export controls and the use of third-country entities to exploit them enables Russia to obtain critical technological components and dual-use materials that fuel its war machine. This directly results in more missiles, more drones and, ultimately, more civilian casualties. We are grateful for Ireland’s steadfast support in EU sanction packages and encourage continued efforts, particularly in advancing the 19th EU sanctions package. We urge stronger measures to counter the so-called shadow fleet used to circumvent oil restrictions and facilitate drone attacks. Reducing the oil price cap to $30 per barrel, alongside stricter export controls and more robust enforcement, would significantly undermine Russia’s ability to sustain its war effort.

Russia’s colonial war extends beyond destruction of civilian and critical infrastructure, it reaches into the lives of Ukrainian families through the forcible deportation and indoctrination of our children. Thousands of children have been illegally transferred, adopted or conscripted into the Russian military to fight against their own homeland. Their identities are falsified, their ties to Ukraine severed and their futures put in jeopardy. These actions amount to a systematic unprecedented genocide, targeting the very future of the Ukrainian people. Russia attacks the very essence of childhood itself to erase Ukrainian identity. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, a landmark move underscoring the moral and legal gravity of these crimes. Justice must go beyond leaders. Those who have adopted and hidden Ukrainian children under false pretences must also be held accountable. We deeply appreciate Ireland's membership of the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children, and the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, for participating in the high-level meeting of the coalition on 23 September in New York. We look forward to Ireland’s continued active engagement within this vital humanitarian effort.

Holding Russia accountable for war crimes, including the torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians, and crimes against humanity remains essential. Russia's withdrawal from the European convention against torture is a de facto admission of guilt and a blatant attempt to avoid responsibility for systematic human rights violations. By disregarding fundamental international norms, Russia's leadership seeks to place itself above the law, but justice must prevail. For Ukrainians, justice means more than prosecutions. It means enforceable verdicts and real accountability. An independent international tribunal dedicated to the crime of aggression is essential to closing accountability gaps and upholding the rule of law. We commend Ireland’s commitment to advancing the special tribunal for the crime of aggression.

Dear members of the committee, no one desires peace more than Ukraine - more than the Ukrainian people who have suffered years of bombardment, loss, and displacement. Putin’s so-called negotiations were never genuine.

They were a smokescreen to buy time and manipulate public perception, create the illusion of dialogue and convince political figures that Russia engages diplomacy. His goal remains clear. It is to eliminate Ukraine, its language, its history, its national identity and the very foundation of its statehood.

This war was never only about Ukraine. From the outset, Russia has sought to undermine European unity and democracy and restore imperial influence through propaganda, disinformation and misinformation and political subversion. It wages a hybrid war without borders, corroding trust in institutions and truth itself. Ukraine’s security is Europe’s security. In the absence of shared security, no nation is safe. When Russian drones violate the airspace of Poland, Romania, Estonia and other European countries, they expose the undeniable reality that no border is truly secure, either in the east or in the west. These attacks test Europe’s entire security architecture and challenge the very principle of sovereignty on which our Continent's peace and stability are built. Yesterday, President Zelenskyy stated:

Russia’s war in Europe remains the biggest source of global instability. And it depends on all of you whether this war will end too. Putin can be forced into peace – just like any other terrorist.

By stopping Russia's aggression now, we are not only defending our people, we are defending Europe and the values on which it stands. Every drone, missile or tank destroyed in Ukraine is one less threat to others throughout the Continent. That is why Russia must be defeated. True peace requires deterrence through strength. We need real, enforceable security guarantees, not another Budapest memorandum, which failed to protect us. Together with our partners, we are building a genuine system of guaranteed security, one that stands above political cycles and beyond shifting interests. A total of 35 nations, including Ireland, have already joined this effort as a part of our coalition of the willing.

Ukraine’s future is firmly anchored in the European Union. Ukraine has successfully completed the bilateral screening process with the European Commission. President Zelenskyy noted that by early November our country will be technically ready in respect of all six negotiating clusters. It is crucial that the first negotiating cluster is opened simultaneously for Ukraine and Moldova. This would ensure fair treatment in the enlargement process. Allowing this process to be obstructed by unilateral vetoes would only serve the interests of those seeking to divide Europe rather than to strengthen it. On this path, we especially value the support of our friends and partners. We are grateful for Ireland's strong and consistent support for our European integration. We anticipate that Ireland’s EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2026 will offer a new opportunity to accelerate the negotiation process. We look forward to close co-operation during this period.

We are living in a new and dangerous era. The threats we face, whether on the battlefield, in cyberspace, or through the manipulation of truth all stem from one source, which is Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. Our unity is stronger than their destruction. Our values are deeper than their lies. Ukraine stands not only for its own freedom but also for the principles that bind us as Europeans. We thank Ireland once again for its solidarity in sanctions, in humanitarian aid, in supporting justice and in standing with Ukraine on the path toward peace, security and EU membership. Go raibh maith agaibh.