John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the ambassador to the Chamber to listen to an important debate at a difficult time. It is difficult to overstate the significance of what is happening in Ukraine and of the dangers that Russian aggression holds for international peace. The potential for a devastating conflict is, unfortunately, very real. I take this opportunity to restate my party's commitment to the principles inherent in United Nations Resolution 68/262 adopted by the General Assembly on 27 March 2014 concerning the territorial integrity of Ukraine and its sovereignty. The UN resolution specifically calls on all states "to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, and to settle their international disputes by peaceful means". From the beginning, we in Sinn Féin have appealed to all sides to attempt to achieve a peaceful resolution and to use the Minsk agreements as a means to pursue dialogue towards such a peaceful solution. I offered Sinn Féin's support to the ambassador of the Ukraine last week when she attended a meeting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. I again restate my party's support. I also met with the Russian ambassador to voice our concerns and opposition to the Russian actions.

Ireland has a role to play in the international arena in search of a peaceful outcome. As a member of the UN Security Council and as a neutral nation, Ireland has the moral standing in the international community and political platforms at the UN Security Council and in the EU to actively pursue a course of action to push for a de-escalation of the current crisis in Ukraine. As a neutral nation, we must be seen to represent and to remain a voice for calm and reason, even in these difficult times, using our position at the UN and in the EU to push for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. It is important that politicians here at home do not exploit this serious crisis to attempt to challenge our neutrality by pushing us down the road towards participation in any future EU army. Ireland is and should remain a neutral country. I take this opportunity to state that I believe our neutrality should be enshrined in our Constitution.

I also record Sinn Féin's opposition to the occupation and annexation of the sovereign territory of any people by force, be that in eastern Europe or, indeed, in the West Bank. It is impossible to avoid making comparisons between the urgency of the response of the United States, of Britain and of the EU to the crisis in Ukraine and their tepid response to the ongoing human rights abuses in Palestine, to the crime of apartheid and to the active acceptance by the Trump administration of the Israeli seizure of the Golan Heights. The territorial integrity of all peoples must be respected, and not just those who serve the strategic interests of a powerful few.

I also welcome the comments from the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, who stated last week that the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of any country should be respected. China, as a close ally of Russia, is in a unique position to exercise influence and to convince the Russians to search for a solution through dialogue and consultation. We are addressing a very live issue, which is developing hour by hour and even minute by minute. Only this evening, I believe, there has been another cyberattack on Ukraine, which is ongoing as we speak. We heard today as well that Ukraine is mobilising its reserves, calling for Ukrainian citizens to leave Russia and that the country is on the cusp of a general mobilisation.

Alarmingly, a top US diplomat has reportedly cancelled a meeting with his Russian counterpart. This is all signalling, unfortunately, an increasing escalation in tensions. All attempts at a diplomatic solution must continue. Dialogue must continue. Difficulties in discerning the reality of what is happening are compounded by deliberate and misleading campaigns of disinformation. It is unfortunate that the webs of lies which were spun by the Bush administration and the British Government concerning the presence of weapons of mass destruction, WMD, to justify the invasion of Iraq have left us with a deep imprint of scepticism when we listen to the sabre-rattling of Boris Johnson. This is the same Boris Johnson who is the Prime Minister of Britain and the leader of the Conservative Party, a party which has a secret advisory committee of ultra-rich donors who enjoy complete access to the most senior members of the British Government. Some of these mega-rich donors are known to have links with the Putin regime. One member of the secret group has been revealed to be the wife of President Putin's former finance minister. Incredibly, when Boris Johnson talks about sanctions, he is also, and perhaps unwittingly, talking about members of the inner circle of the British Government.

This is not to say that we in Ireland can take a high-handed and morally-superior position in respect of financial dealings with Russian oligarchs. Ireland has long been the destination and washing ground for billions of euro of Russian oligarchs' money. As far back as 2019, Sinn Féin exposed a total of 106 shell companies registered in Ireland with Russian connections. I refer to firms with no employees, no fixed assets and paying minimal tax, if any. This is an issue that my colleague, Deputy Mairéad Farrell, has addressed here on several occasions. The failure of the financial regulatory system is shocking. It is this weak financial regulation and lax oversight that has made Ireland such an attractive location to raise funds in for Russian oligarchs linked to the regime. A total of €118 billion has been funnelled through this State to Russia. I refer to one instance of a bank part-owned by President Putin himself and another of a bank that has been described by the Russian central bank as "a special-purpose bank for serving military-industrial complex business".

Another company under sanctions of the US used a shell company registered in Ireland to raise funds in 2014 and again in 2016. The responsibility for this lies with successive governments that have presided over a financial system described as the wild west of European finance.

It is important the House sends out a clear message that we stand up for international law and humanitarian law, irrespective of whether it is in eastern Europe or the West Bank. Sinn Féin will support a cross-party motion based on the UN General Assembly Resolution of 2014 that deals with the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

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