Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Ukrainian ambassador, H.E. Larysa Gerasko, to the House.

I would like to welcome the comments of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, at the opening of the debate. It was a strong speech which outlined the solidarity he, the Government and the House have with Ukraine at this time. I welcome the unity and solidarity expressed by Members across the Chamber.

At the outset, I want to make the distinction that the Russian people are not Putin and Putin is not the Russian people. That distinction is critically important and we should be very clear about that. A war on the borders of the European Union and in cyberspace, a war on a sovereign state and a war on democracy itself is starting to play out. It is as sombre an occasion as events in the early 1910s or 1930s or, indeed, the events of the Cold War of the latter half of the 20th century.

It is worthwhile reiterating in this Chamber that the West has not goaded Putin into war. The Russian President has often invoked the NATO threat as justification, but this week he clearly laid out his actual grievances for lost power and influence. Let there be no mistake. This is a war initiated by Putin on a sovereign and independent state. Putin has always feared successful democracies, in particular flourishing, sovereign and independent states following the fall of the USSR.

We need to be prepared, I am sad to say, for a humanitarian crisis caused by an autocratic regime, and we need to be willing to play our part. My colleague on the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Deputy Cathal Berry, has repeatedly emphasised the need to support the Ukrainian people, as he did just a few minutes ago. He stated that we often think we have little control over geopolitical events, but we have control over our preparation and our response.

Sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union this week, and the swiftness of those sanctions, are to be welcomed. We are likely going to need further and more severe sanctions as we go forward. I note Deputy Howlin is in the Chamber, and I want to acknowledge his efforts in bringing forward the Proceeds of Crime (Gross Human Rights Abuses) Bill 2020, which completed Second Stage in the House last year. It would strengthen our defence against Russian oligarchs who are laundering money in this country. This Government should seriously consider supporting Deputy Howlin's Bill.

Reference was made earlier to Nord Stream 2 and the cancellation of the project yesterday. It was the correct decision by Chancellor Scholz. It will cause hardship for the European Union and lead to an elevation of energy prices across member states, but this is the price of solidarity. It is the price of upholding democracy and sovereign integrity.

Deputies mentioned the longer term solution, and I have spoken many times in the House about how the west of the European Union can provide the energy for Europe so that it is not relying on the autocratic regime to the east. I have spoken about it in terms of the opportunity that it represents for Ireland, but it is an opportunity for Europe to unravel itself from dependence on the Russian state.

War and violence should never be glorified. They result in death and destruction, families divided and a long legacy of trauma. Democracy is fragile and must be shored up by our institutions, by our media and in this House. We must avoid misinformation and polarisation on the critical issues of our day. However, democracy can be resilient when people unite with a common purpose. Years of sustained and unrelenting pressure from Putin has not broken Ukrainian democracy. With true and effective solidarity and unity, I do not believe he will succeed this time either.

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