Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his comments and for raising this issue.

While Ireland is a militarily neutral country, meaning that we do not participate in military alliances or common or mutual defence arrangements, we are not politically or morally neutral in response to Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. Ireland strongly condemns the ongoing, despicable and indiscriminate missile and drone attacks against civilian targets across Ukraine. These are having a devastating impact on Ukraine's energy and other critical civilian infrastructure. The sole aim of such attacks is to terrorise the Ukrainian population. This exacerbates the already challenging humanitarian situation in Ukraine, where millions have been displaced, particularly in the context of a harsh winter. These attacks constitute another unacceptable escalation of the war, and civilians are paying the highest price. Those responsible must be held to account.

During our tenure on the United Nations Security Council we clearly, consistently and unambiguously called on Russia to end its aggression, comply with its obligations under international law and withdraw all its forces unconditionally from the entirety of the sovereign and internationally recognised territory of Ukraine. Ireland will continue to use its voice, including at European Union level and in relevant multilateral fora, to call on the Russian Federation to end its illegal war against Ukraine, to withdraw its forces and engage in genuine dialogue and diplomacy towards peace. We have received President Zelenskyy's ten-point peace plan and have been studying it closely. We will reflect on how Ireland might best contribute to its objectives. We are already involved in many of the areas it covers, including food security, accountability and nuclear safety. We are grateful to the United Nations and other partners for their ongoing efforts. We know there is only one way to end the suffering in Ukraine and that is for Russia to end its illegal war, withdraw its forces from the territory of Ukraine and restore peace.

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