Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom mo dhlúthpháirtíocht, agus dlúthpháirtíocht Shinn Féin, a léiriú le mhuintir na hÚcráine. Ní féidir le héinne a bhfuil meas acu ar an saoirse, ar cheannasaíocht agus ar an bhféinchinneadh, ach breathnú le huafás ar ghníomhartha na Rúise agus a ceannaire, Vladimir Putin. Níl a leithéid feicthe againn san Eoraip le thart ar ceithre scór bliain anuas. Tuigeann muintir na hÉireann an tionchar a bhfuil ar ionradh eachtrannach agus seasaimid leis an Úcráin ag an tráth seo. Ní thugann gníomhartha na Rúise ach bás agus scrios do thír bródúil.

I want to start by again extending my solidarity, and the solidarity of all of us in Sinn Féin, with the people of Ukraine. All of us who value freedom, sovereignty and the right to self-determination of free peoples can only look on in horror at the actions of the Russian Federation and its leader, Vladimir Putin, in embarking on the type of invasion that we have not seen in Europe for decades. Ireland, more than most, knows and understands the impact of occupation and imperialist aggression, and we stand with Ukraine as they face down the tyranny of empire.

The actions of Russia bring nothing but death and destruction to a proud country. They are acts that we have regrettably witnessed around the world in modern times - in Iraq, in Afghanistan and in Palestine. They are acts that have no place in the 21st century, period, irrespective of who the aggressor is.

The Charter of the United Nations, the cornerstone of modern international law, prohibits the “use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State”. That must be our starting point and our end point. It must be the goal of the international community, through diplomacy, to bring about a peaceful resolution and to stop this war, and all wars.

James Connolly wrote: “There are no humane methods of warfare, there is no such thing as civilized warfare; all warfare is inhuman; all warfare is barbaric; the first blast of the bugles of war ever sounds for the time being the funeral knell of human progress.”

He was not wrong. However, there is a way out of this. I believe that, as with any conflict, the way out of this is through politics and through dialogue. By dint of our military neutrality, our history of conflict resolution, and our seat on the UN Security Council, particularly as the only European member of the Security Council that is not also a member of NATO, Ireland is uniquely placed in Europe to put the case for an intensification of efforts to find a peaceful pathway forward.

As a militarily neutral country and a country committed to the rule of law, to the success of multilateralism, to democracy and to dialogue, I believe we can play a proactive role in the response of the international community at large. We must step up our supports for those in need of humanitarian aid and our support for those displaced by this conflict. I have no doubt that we will play our full part in accommodating those fleeing Ukraine, as part of a comprehensive Europe-wide, and indeed global response.

I also hope that Ukrainian membership of the EU can be expedited in line with the motion passed overwhelmingly today by the European Parliament.

I want to acknowledge the very many people in Russia who do not want this war. We send them our solidarity as they bravely protest the unjust actions of their leaders. We should acknowledge that this is not an easy thing - in fact, it is a most courageous thing to do in a country that has a dismal human rights record.

It is ordinary people also who will feel the heavy impact of economic sanctions, even when they are correctly targeted predominantly at Russian oligarchs and big business. Those sanctions are, I believe, an absolutely necessary part of the diplomatic effort to make the Russian leadership realise the futility of their actions in invading Ukraine. Vladimir Putin can, even at this late juncture, accept that his actions are entirely unjust, that they are contrary to international law and that he can end this barbarism.

As we move forward from here, there is an onus and a responsibility on us to renew and step up our proud efforts as a State to advance the cause of international nuclear disarmament. Indeed, it should be remembered that Ireland was the first country to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1968. Statements and events of recent days serve to remind us that we are never more than minutes away from a chain reaction of missile strikes that threaten the very existence of humankind. For that reason, all nuclear weapons held by all actors must be put beyond use and new measures put in place to ensure that they can never be produced again.

In conclusion, let me state again that we here in Ireland stand with the global community and oppose and condemn Russia’s actions and that we support Ukraine’s right to territorial integrity and its internationally recognised borders. We recognise above all else the rights of Ukrainian women, men and children to their safety and to their homeland. There can be no tolerance for the type of aggression we have seen by a very large, very powerful state against its smaller neighbour.

Tá sé sin go hiomlán do-ghlactha dúinn i Sinn Féin, do bhaill an Tí seo, agus don phobal idirnáisiúnta. Tacaím leis an rún atá os ár gcomhair um thráthnóna.

This aggression is entirely unacceptable to all of us - to all of us in this House, to the Irish people and to the international community. I, therefore, commend and support the motion before us this afternoon.

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