Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Much of the European Council statements were rightly focused around the Russian military aggression against Ukraine. We must continue to condemn Russia's bloody and destructive attack on Ukraine at every opportunity we get. I am glad that this was the main focus of the European Council talks. We stand with Ukraine and its people. We should continue to condemn Russia at every opportunity we get. We also must continue to maintain and strengthen our military neutrality at every opportunity. Both are not mutually exclusive. This is not to say that we are morally neutral in the face of war crimes either. We never have been and we never will be. President Zelenskyy himself when addressing the Dáil earlier said although Ireland is a neutral country, it has not remained neutral to the disaster Russia has brought to Ukraine.

Our response has rightly been victim focused. Our role as a neutral voice that condemns violations of international law and supports victims is internationally recognised. It is important that we continue to protect this neutral voice. I welcome that the European Council agreed to develop a Ukrainian solidarity trust fund to help to provide support to Ukraine for its immediate needs and for the reconstruction of Ukraine, following the incredible destruction and loss suffered there. I was concerned, however, about the European Union's endorsement of a strategic compass, which intends to provide a shared assessment of the strategic environment in which the EU is operating and of the threats and challenges the Union supposedly faces.

I know that the Commission, in conjunction with the European Defence Agency, EDA, intends to look at defensive investment gaps and to introduce initiatives to strengthen the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base, EDTIB, next month. We need to tread very carefully here on this. We need to ensure that our neutrality is not compromised when such discussions take place. The European Council has stated that it intends to harness EU funding instruments and initiatives to strengthen the defence capabilities of member states. We cannot allow them to rope Ireland into this. We cannot allow them to get involved in the way we conduct our Defence Forces. We must stay strong in our neutrality. We all know that in the House that the EU will have willing partners here to weaken our neutrality and we need to watch out for that.

In terms of energy issues, I am glad to see that the national circumstances will be taken into account and I think that we should look at all the options that are provided for. The Government is quick to make the point that it cannot act on VAT on energy costs and that may be so, but the Commission is pointing out the options that are available, such as temporary taxation of or regulatory interventions on windfall profits. Those options are available from the Commission itself. What is being done about that?

We have that we have been constantly led to believe that that is the only game in town but now we see that it is not. It is interesting that we have been very vocal on the import of oil and gas from Russia and have said that we should stop them straight away and rightly so. Yet, that it is a stance that would cause hardship for the citizens who depend on them. Yet, interestingly, there are not many Irish citizens who depend on gas from Russia. There may be a knock-on effect if a ban comes into force and time will tell in relation to that. At the same time, we appear to be protecting the Aughinish Alumina plant from sanctions. That is hypocritical of us. If we need to protect that plant, the Government should be considering taking it over straight away and to take it out of the hands of the oligarchs. Why should we protect that plant for an oligarch? Should the Government not take it into public control so that we can run it ourselves? We can dispose of it at a later stage, rather than protecting it and keeping it free from sanctions.

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