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

No one, and certainly no Irish person, will underestimate for a second the absolute determination and courage of the Ukrainian people in defending their homeland, families and lives. No one underestimates for a moment the barbarity of Vladimir Putin's regime and the illegality of this invasion of Ukraine. Neither should any of us doubt the absolute necessity to reassert the primacy of international law, rules-based international relationships and, above all else, the need to restore good order, a full withdrawal of Russian troopers and peace such that this war ends.

It is in that spirit I invite the Taoiseach as Head of the Irish Government to lead again, to lead together with our partners in Europe and to leverage this crucial diplomatic tool. It is essential as shells rain down on Kyiv and people flee for their lives that we demonstrate in every way to the Russian Federation that Ireland means business and that we will not offer any shelter, any excuse or any cover in any form to them.In that spirit, I again invite the Taoiseach to lead our European partners in this endeavour. As regards keeping diplomatic channels open, and that is a legitimate point the Taoiseach made, there are ways in which that can be achieved such as, for example, the appointment of a Chargé d'Affaires to ensure that our citizens in Russia or elsewhere are catered for. I invite the Taoiseach not to break ranks with Europe but to lead on this matter.

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