Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Last Wednesday evening we discussed this matter in somewhat academic terms. As we were doing so, President Putin was making arrangements to cross the border and invade Ukraine. As we speak, Kyiv is being bombarded with missiles. Last night, Fergal Keane, who has observed so many of these situations, finished his report with a father touching his son, who was inside a train, through the glass and on the glass. He said: "What cannot be held must be let go, until another day". That is the reality for families. They are being split. They are being torn apart and torn asunder. Fergal Keane also said he had seen scenes he had never imagined he would see, and he is a war correspondent who, unfortunately, has many years of experience and exposure.

I understand the Government's position on the Russian ambassador, but what about when somebody cannot give a credible answer? He was challenged last Friday evening on RTÉ that he is an apologist for slaughter. He had no credible answer to that challenge from David McCullagh. He said it was a matter for the Irish Government. We must ask ourselves if is this somebody who has respect for the views of the Irish people and who we can do business with. I accept the need to keep diplomatic channels open, but is it worth keeping them open when we are not being listened to?

We need to be able to stand up, as a Government and as a country, and say that within the IFSC and within the section 110 trusts, no Russian operations are being financed or facilitated through the existence of said trusts or through the support of work relating to them. If we cannot do that or clearly say that, then we need to act as a matter of urgency.

I acknowledge what the Minister for Foreign Affairs said about the ordinary Russian people. Many of them are taking brave steps to outline their opposition to all this. They should be supported and acknowledged.

As a final point, we need to act cohesively. Last Wednesday night, I traced how, as Deputy Creed said, this has been going on since 2014. Since then, we have had a relaxation on the part of many institutions, including the EU. I acknowledge the huge steps taken in the past few days, but they have come too late. We need the resolution of the past few days to be continued and strengthened. All of us, as member states and citizens, need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we are doing enough. Are we doing enough, as member states, to cut this off at the head? Unless we do that and cut every asset, source of finance and source of support off we cannot look at ourselves in the mirror properly.

See this speech in context