John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the decision by the EU to grant candidate country status to Ukraine and Moldova. The scenes of joy with which this was greeted by Ukrainans who gathered in Brussels in their hundreds tell a vivid tale of what it means to the people of the country. I condemn the indiscriminate attacks on civilians taking place throughout Ukraine. These attacks are acts of appalling aggression. They are war crimes and they need to be fully investigated, with those responsible brought to justice. I welcome the work being done by the International Criminal Court in this regard.

The conflict is turning into an artillery and bombing war as Russia reverts to the tried and tested methods it has employed in other conflicts, such as Chechnya, Georgia and Syria. Every effort must be made by the international community at every available forum to end the targeting of civilians. It is right and proper that all democratic states and institutions, including the EU, apply the necessary sanctions to help bring the conflict to an end at soon as possible and, if necessary, to build on existing sanctions to stop the Russian aggression.

What reviews have been undertaken at EU level on the effectiveness of the sanctions? What efforts are being taken to ensure public support for sanctions is maintained? What measures is the Government taking to alleviate the financial impact of sanctions on the Irish people and to educate and inform our citizens of the purpose and impact of the sanctions? This will become particularly important given it is generally accepted that Russia will attempt to leverage gas and fuel shortages and price increases over the coming winter to weaken the resolve of European nations. It is important the Government uses its position as a member of the UN Security Council, and as a military non-aligned nation, to work with like-minded nations in an unsparing attempt to seek a peaceful resolution to this bloody and illegal conflict.

Having given a commitment to take in 500 Ukrainian refugees who are in Moldova as far back as March of this year, at a time when Moldova was attempting to deal with the initial influx of hundreds of thousands fleeing the war zone, to date, the Government has taken in only a mere 19. This is simply not good enough. It fails Ireland's commitment to alleviate some of the pressure on the Moldovan authorities as they attempt to address a crisis unprecedented in its history. The failure of the Government from the outset to co-ordinate its decision to accept refugees from Moldova or to lay out any clear timeline of its plan to do so speaks to a worrying level of "ad hocery" at the heart of the Government.

Failure by the international community to address the international food crisis will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. The war in Ukraine has compounded the crippling impacts of climate change, regional conflict and the failure of the international community to fund initiatives such as the World Food Programme, the funding for which was decimated prior to the war in Ukraine. President Michael D. Higgins has described the situation in the Horn of Africa as potentially the greatest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War. Throughout parts of Africa and the Middle East there is huge dependency on Russia and Ukraine for grain and other food stuffs. The continuing Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports has led to the weaponisation of food. I welcome the response of the EU, which is establishing solidarity lanes to allow attempts to ship grain and other food supplies from Ukraine by road, rail and barge as alternatives to traditional shipping routes. With the best will in the world these efforts will not come anywhere close to achieving the result required to transport the up to 25 million tonnes of grain locked in Ukraine. These are badly needed to stave off disaster and it is critical that efforts continue to get the Black Sea ports open again.

With regard to the future of the Irish protocol and rebuilding relationships between Britain and the EU, few fair-minded individuals committed to a prosperous future for peoples throughout Europe will lament the political demise of Boris Johnson as British Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party. Unfortunately, it has precipitated a race to the right among the majority of candidates now looking to replace him. It is deeply concerning that whatever the origins of the political outlook of senior Tories, advancement in the party is predicated on approval from the keepers of the flame of Brexit in the European Research Group. To all intents and purposes, we are now being forced to deal with what is fast becoming nothing more than an English nationalist party. The best outcome we can hope for is the victory of the least worst candidate. With growing Brexit fatigue among our colleagues in the EU, it is important that the Government works to keep the issue and importance of the Irish protocol and the peace process to the forefront of the minds of all EU leaders.

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