Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

recalls:

— that in the first Article of Bunreacht na hÉireann the Irish nation affirmed its inalienable, indefeasible, and sovereign right to choose its own form of Government, to determine its relations with other nations, and to develop its life, political, economic and cultural, in accordance with its own genius and traditions;

— that Ireland believes in, and is fully committed to the core principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations (UN), which include the sovereign equality and territorial integrity of states;

— that Ukraine has the same fundamental right as every other sovereign and independent state to choose its own foreign policy and to ensure the security and defence of its own territory; and

— the commitments we make as members of the UN are binding on every UN Member State;

reaffirms its commitment to the principle of the pacific settlement of disputes and calls on all nations to settle disputes peacefully in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations;

condemns in the strongest terms Russia's acts of aggression against Ukraine and reaffirms its unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders;

notes that our deep concern about the actions of the Russian leadership does not diminish the friendship and respect we have for ordinary Russians, including those who have built a future in Ireland;

rejects the decision of the Russian Federation to recognise the so-called "independence" of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and calls upon the Russian Federation to reverse this decision;

urges Russia to reverse the recognition, withdraw its military forces, and return to discussions within the Normandy format;

calls for the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements as endorsed by the Security Council in UN Security Council Resolution 2202 (2015);

welcomes the commitment of €10 million in humanitarian aid to the Ukraine Humanitarian Response Plan as an expression of Irish solidarity with the people of Ukraine; and

calls upon the Secretary General of the United Nations to use his good offices to search for a peaceful settlement.

Thursday, 24 February 2022 is a day that will live in infamy. In the early hours of the morning, Russian forces began a large-scale assault on the sovereign nation of Ukraine, involving invasion by land, sea and air. Russia mounted this invasion from multiple fronts, including Ukraine's northern border with Belarus. Russia, a country of 17 million sq km – and with the added utilisation of Belarus's territory - tried to suddenly overwhelm its neighbour of 604,000 sq km in the middle of the night. The previous evening, the Dáil had heard statements on the security situation in Europe. The solidarity with Ukraine, expressed in the presence of the Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland, was widespread and sincere across this House. The message from this House was unwavering: Ireland supports Ukraine. That evening – not even a week ago - we were clear in our condemnation of President Putin's decision to recognise the non-Government controlled areas in the Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent entities, and we were, of course, deeply concerned by Russia's military build-up and aggressive stance towards Ukraine. That was only six days ago.

Less than a week later, we gather again, united in horror at the outrageous and naked aggression which we have seen from Russia against its neighbour. Through its decision to launch an invasion, violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, the Russian Federation has brought war to European soil. It has flagrantly violating the UN Charter and the core principles of international law. Its actions have horrified and disgusted the world.

I have been asked questions in recent days about Ireland's military neutrality - we heard some of them again today - and the impact on our neutrality by some of our responses to the Ukraine crisis. Ireland is militarily neutral, that is, we are not a member of a military alliance. Let me say clearly, however, that we are not, and will never be, politically neutral in the face of the bombardment of cities, the targeting of civilian infrastructure, and attempts to lay siege to a city of 3 million men, women and children - people who have never asked for war and who wish only to live in a democratic, peaceful, stable and free country and make their own sovereign decisions about their foreign and security policy.

Like all of us in this House, I have been deeply impressed by the resolve shown by the Ukrainian people and government. As we speak, the capital, Kyiv, and the second largest city, Kharkiv, remain in Ukrainian hands despite intensive attacks against both. The dignity and heroism of so many ordinary Ukrainians has been simply extraordinary. The leadership shown by President Zelenskiy and Foreign Minister Kuleba has been exemplary.

In response to Ukraine's application for EU membership, I say that Ireland is a strong supporter of Ukraine's European aspiration and making that happen as soon as possible. Ukraine has shown extraordinary determination to uphold the values of the EU. We have seen a heroic effort over the past number of days to defend not only Ukraine, but a value system and a way of life that they want to pursue. Ukrainians in their thousands are willing to lay down their lives to protect that dream.

I devoted some time in my statement on Wednesday last to the EU response. In my 24 years in politics, I have never seen EU member states as unified and with as much resolve as I have seen on this issue. In the space of five days, we have imposed three packages of unprecedented sanctions against Russia; hitting the web of companies, financial institutions, state institutions and agencies, oligarchs, government members and media interests that surround President Putin and enable the corruption and violence that we have seen on such naked display in the past week.

These actions include: the closure of EU airspace to all Russian aircraft; freezing the assets of the Russian Central Bank in the EU; expelling key Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications, SWIFT, system; sanctioning more than 500 individual oligarchs, Government Ministers, senior army and security officials and heads of state institutions; extending sanctions on Belarus for its role in allowing its territory to be used for Russian aggression; and sanctioning key figures and Russian media outlets that are disseminating disinformation across the EU. EU leaders said in December that further military aggression by Russia against Ukraine would result in massive cost for Russia, and this is exactly what has happened.

Ireland will continue to play its part in these collective efforts. We have been at the forefront of EU efforts and, indeed, sometimes ahead; taking a decision in principle to ban Russian aircraft from our airspace in advance of the collective EU agreement to do so, and calling early for an exclusion of key Russian financial institutions and banks from SWIFT.

Each package of sanctions has been designed to add an additional layer of pressure on the Russian - and Belarusian - Governments and to cripple their ability to finance their illegal and unconscionable actions. Ireland will support any further proposals that we believe will be effective in stymying Russia's war efforts. The news coming out of Russia since Thursday shows that these wide-ranging sanctions are having an undeniable effect. The value of the ruble has crashed, which will impact Russia's continued ability to conduct this war. The effect of asset freezes and travel bans will be felt immediately by individuals who have been sanctioned, including those close to President Putin, who influence his decisions and provide him with support.

Sanctions are not cost-free for Ireland or for the other countries joining this unprecedented global effort. We are in ongoing contact with Irish companies to support them in mitigating some of the impacts on them and we will continue work at Government level to ensure we are ready for any countermeasures that Russia might impose on the EU, which we can expect to be potentially severe. No one is being hurt as much as the innocent Ukrainians citizens, fleeing for refuge, whose cities are under siege and whose civilian infrastructure is being targeted.

I welcome the statement of the International Criminal Court prosecutor, Karim Khan, that he will open an investigation into the situation in Ukraine. He stated unambiguously last night that there is a reasonable basis to believe that both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine. Ireland, as always, will stand firmly and unambiguously behind the International Criminal Court and defend its independence and impartiality. Alarmingly, we have also seen reported use of cluster munitions or bombs in an urban residential area in Ukraine's second largest city, which Ireland strongly condemns. The use of indiscriminate and disproportionate weapons cannot be tolerated and is a clear violation of international humanitarian law.

We must do everything we can to reach and to support Ukrainian people. My Department announced late last week a fresh €10 million in humanitarian funding for Ukraine. The Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, has confirmed that we have suspended all visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens seeking to enter Ireland, for their first 90 days. Two days ago, along with my EU colleagues, we agreed a package of €500 million in military assistance for the Ukrainian military through the European Peace Facility, EPF, so that people can defend themselves. In line with the commitment in the programme for Government, Ireland will pay our share of those efforts in full. Our proportion, which is likely to be approximately €10 million, will be used exclusively for the provision of non-lethal support. The latter component will include supplies such as personal protective equipment, medical kits and fuel, all urgently needed and being sought by Ukrainians. Two fellow EU member states, Austria and Malta, have taken a similar approach.

Ireland has also led the response at UN level. After Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution last Friday condemning the offensive against Ukraine and calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urgent dialogue, Ireland moved quickly to ensure that an urgent session of the General Assembly was convened. The Russian Federation's use of the veto at the Security Council was a reprehensible attempt to excuse its own military aggression against another sovereign state. It must not and will not prevent the international community from responding to Russia's blatant breaches of international law, nor will it deter us from holding Russia accountable for its actions. We hope and expect that a majority of the members of the UN General Assembly will support a clear and robust resolution to condemn this outright violation of the UN charter. We will bring this issue back into the Security Council chamber and are pushing today for the adoption of a resolution calling for safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all in need in Ukraine.

I will not go into the details here on the consular issues on which my Department continues to lead. I will just say that my officials are in ongoing contact with the Irish citizens remaining in Ukraine - the number fluctuates daily, but today stands at just under 80. We are also in contact with families in surrogacy arrangements in Ukraine and Members will understand that I do not want to make any comment on that publicly, given the extreme sensitivity of the situation that applies to a number of families, some here and some in Poland, waiting for news of their newborn children. I want to make clear that our strong advice is against all travel to Ukraine for any reason. I understand the strength of feeling among Ukrainian and Irish citizens alike and some have been in contact with my Department, looking for information on how to join the military efforts to defend Ukraine. I must make clear again - the situation in Ukraine is extremely volatile and dangerous and Irish citizens and residents should not travel under any circumstances.

This motion, which I am laying before the House, articulates the support from every political party and every Deputy here for Ukraine. Last week, Leinster House, along with many other civic buildings in Ireland, lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow, to show solidarity. It is now time for us in the Dáil to formally record solidarity with Ukraine, by agreeing this motion. In the course of our debates on the security situation in Europe, there have been some differences of emphasis and some differences of view expressed on international matters, as is normal in a healthy democracy. As a fundamental principle, there has been widespread support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. I know we can reiterate that collectively today. The text of this motion is straightforward in its support for Ukraine and I urge all Deputies to support it.

The date, 24 February 2022, was a dark day for Ukraine, for Russia, for Belarus, and for the whole world. President Putin's announcement represents a dangerous and irresponsible escalation in tensions, and considerably heightens the risk of catastrophic miscalculation. There can be no justification for threatening the use of nuclear weapons. I have called for Russia to immediately revoke the order to place nuclear weapons on high-alert status, and I urge maximum restraint and de-escalation.

As I close, I want to speak directly to any Russian people in Ireland or elsewhere, who are watching or listening to this debate. We know that many Russian people do not want this war. Many have been deeply courageous in protesting against military aggression. We know that the people of Belarus are not represented by the aggressive actions of the Belarusian Government either. There is still time. Enormous damage and destruction has been done. The loss of human life, which is mounting as we speak, is beyond shocking. The UNHCR estimates that 500,000 Ukrainians have already fled to neighbouring countries, four in particular. However, there is still time to pull back, and to choose a path of reason, restraint and diplomacy. In this motion, the Dáil calls on Russia to withdraw its military immediately. This can be done at any moment. What has happened will not be forgotten, but we can still work towards peace and resolution, and that is an aspiration everybody in this House should support.

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