Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. It is prescient and appropriate to raise this issue in the House because if Russia invades Ukraine this will become a very big issue for Ireland and indeed for the EU. As I said, contingency planning is under way for different scenarios but perhaps we need to upgrade or scale up the kind of contingency planning we are doing. The Deputy makes a very valid point in that regard. Obviously, the first response is to protect our citizens in Ukraine and to ensure they are safe and can get out if they need to. The second is a wider humanitarian response to help people who may be displaced or have to flee. The third of course relates to issues around energy supplies. We do not get much gas from Russia or Ukraine but it would still have a knock-on effect. There is also the possibility of cyberattacks and disruption of the EU should a conflict emerge.

See this speech in context