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

There are many in this House who have a knowledge and connection with Belarus - I suspect Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan is probably one of them - as have I. Since the fraudulent presidential elections, the European Union has focused on trying to support and facilitate democracy in Belarus. Certainly, the facilitation by the Belarusian authorities of a Russian military build-up in Belarus in order to facilitate the invasion of Ukraine also makes the Belarusian authorities complicit in what has happened.

What we are trying to do within the European Union is ensure that whatever sanctions we are applying to Russia are also fully replicated in the context of Belarus so that we can, as I say, create the maximum possible deterrent for the continuation of this war across both Russia and Belarus.

See this speech in context