Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste for his opening remarks.

I will begin my remarks by extending a welcome to the Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Ms Larysa Gerasko, and thank her for being here. I also thank her for continuing to keep the Members of this House and, indeed, the wider Irish public aware of the realty of life in Ukraine. Also, on behalf of what are now my Ukrainian constituents, I thank her for the representation she provides to them alongside consular support.

Two years ago, Vladimir Putin's Russia launched a brutal and criminal war on its peaceful neighbour, Ukraine. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the largest land conflict and greatest displacement of people in Europe for nearly 80 years. Today, I reiterate that Russia's attack on and bombardment of the Ukrainian people is an attack on sovereignty, on peace and on the right of a nation to be sovereign, independent and free. It is a vicious and violent expression of the dead-end belief that might is right and military power can dominate humanity. The result to date is the killing of more than 10,000 people, including more than 560 children. An estimated 19,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russia or its proxies. Millions of Ukrainian people have been forced to leave their homeland.

For the Irish people, we are clear whose side we are on. For 24 months, the courageous people of Ukraine have stood against the Russian onslaught. The people of Ireland have stood with them. We are clear that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a blatant breach of international law, a full-scale aggression which has been defined by war crimes committed by the Russian military against innocent people. Sinn Féin supports the utilisation of all diplomatic, economic and financial sanctions against Russia in response to these breaches of international law. The response of the people and member states of the European Union to the Russian onslaught unleashed two years ago showed Europe at its best. It showed a Europe committed to humanitarianism and to international humanitarian law, a Europe which not only rejected the might-takes-right approach of dominant powers but also said it was willing to stand firmly in defence of those principles. Apart from the shameful exception of the Hungarian Government, administrations across Europe have clearly demonstrated their solidarity with Ukraine without fail.

I welcome the constructive approach of the Irish Government at a European level and its continued support for Ukraine. That approach is one for which they have Sinn Féin's total support. The people of Ukraine have no option but to continue to resist and we continue to support them while they do so. As a militarily neutral country, Ireland is well placed to be a consistent defender of international law, international humanitarian law and the UN charter. Our strength flows from our consistency in that approach. Ireland has international credibility precisely because we can and do decry breaches of international law regardless of who it is that is in breach and because we can call out war crimes regardless of who it is that commits them. That is why we should support actions against the perpetrators of war crimes regardless of who they are by imposing sanctions and using the multilateral institutions, such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, as mechanisms to hold aggressors to account.

Russia must be held to account for the despicable and illegal attacks on Ukraine and so too must Israel be held to account for the despicable and illegal attacks on Palestine. It is through that consistency in approach that we can, as a neutral country with an independent foreign policy, be of the most assistance to the people of Ukraine but we cannot ignore the elephant in the room, that is, the lack of consistency from within the EU institutions. In particular, the European Commission president, Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, through her interventions on Israel's onslaught of Gaza, went beyond her remit, contravened the EU principle of subsidiarity and, crucially, undermined Europe's credibility as an advocate for international law. She and those EU leaders who support her have done a disservice to the people of Palestine, of course, but they have also done a disservice to the people of Ukraine. The Commission President should not be rewarded with a second term of office because, if international law is not universally defended, it becomes defenceless. It is in this context that rogue governments, such as Putin's Russian regime, thrive.

Our unified message to Vladimir Putin must remain clear. Russia must immediately withdraw from Ukraine. Putin must end his war and end the bloodshed. Putin must be sent the message repeatedly until he finally understands that the international community will stand resolute for as long as it takes to face down his attack on peace, sovereignty, stability and human rights. Our message, today, is that Ireland will stand with Ukraine through all of the horror and we hope and pray, above all, that the people of Ukraine will win out.

The actions of Russia, just as the actions of Israel, should remind the world of a lesson that Ireland has long learned, that is, the damaging and divisive legacy wrought by colonisation, occupation and the denial of self-determination. We, in Ireland, know that imperialist ventures and colonial aggression have no place in a peaceful world - a world of rights, justice and equality. Ireland, Europe and the global community have rightly stood against Russia's criminal invasion and, therefore, we must stand against military aggression everywhere it is to be found because this is not the time for double standards.

The responsibility for ending the war in Ukraine lies squarely with Vladimir Putin. Two years on, we repeat that a withdrawal of the Russian military must happen and we must all come together to build a pathway and a plan for peace.

While standing with Ukraine, Ireland must be clear in the role that we are best placed to play. Events of the past two years in Ukraine, just as the events of the past four months in Palestine, have crystalised the absolute need for neutral actors - those who can act credibly as interlocutors and agents for conflict resolution. Being neutral with an independent foreign policy means calling out war crimes regardless of whether they are committed by Russia, Hamas or Israel, and that is a strength when we must resist attempts at recasting our neutrality as a weakness.

There are those who have shamelessly sought to use Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to undermine and to stretch the definition of Irish neutrality to the point where it is meaningless. They are doing the Irish people and Ireland’s role in the world a huge disservice. Because Ireland can and must play a positive and constructive role in the world, we must remain champions for the multilateral framework and the United Nations because, for all its flaws, the UN remains humanity’s best hope. We must reject Government attempts to undermine the triple-lock neutrality protection because that will undermine our credibility and consistency of which I spoke. Neutrality and having an independent foreign policy allows Ireland to be consistent advocates for international humanitarian law and champions for the United Nations framework. The alternative is a return to the prominence of the might is right philosophy which suits nobody better than Vladimir Putin.

We stand here to mark two years since the commencement of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine. I hope we will not have to mark another year again next year. But make no mistake, if we are here again in a year’s time, we will remain as committed in our support of the people of Ukraine in our adherence to international law and to peace across Europe and the world as we did in the hours and weeks immediately after that illegal invasion. If it takes another six months or another six years, our message to Putin must be that he will learn what many other aggressors before him have learned, that you cannot break the will of a proud people to be free. Ukraine will be a free member of the European Union. For humanity and for international law, I hope that happens sooner rather than later.

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