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

It is my judgment that having a diplomatic channel for communication and sending messages makes sense on lots of levels. Even if there is a war going on, people need to talk. If we are going to continue to try to bring an end to that war, talking is necessary and diplomatic interventions are necessary, even if we fundamentally disagree with the people we are talking to in terms of the approach they are taking and the legality of that internationally.

Having said that, we are assessing whether the extent of the presence and the Russian diplomatic footprint in Ireland is appropriate. We continue to speak to a number of other EU countries that are doing the same. This week, a number of EU countries have made decisions in that regard. I suspect there will be decisions, next week perhaps, by other member states. When we are ready to make decisions from an Irish perspective, we will do so.

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