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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 61 together.

Along with our European Union partners, Ireland continues to engage internationally to build broad support for a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine based on the Ukraine peace plan. It is up to Ukraine to determine the terms and conditions under which it should engage in peace negotiations. Russia has stepped up its large-scale assaults on civilians in recent weeks and has intensified its offensive along the front line. President Putin's recent rhetoric threatens escalation rather than de-escalation. While the world calls for peace, respect for international borders and territorial integrity, Russia continues to choose the path of aggression.

Ireland fully supports President Zelenskyy’s ten-point point peace formula. Working groups have been established by the Ukrainian side for each point of the plan, with the aim of translating political support into practical and pragmatic implementation. Ireland has been participating in a number of the working groups, including on food security, restoration of justice and nuclear safety, and recently attended meetings on preventing escalation and confirmation of the end of the war. Ireland also participated at senior official level in recent meetings on the peace formula in Malta and Davos, in which a large number of countries from different regions of the world participated. There are now 80 countries from across the globe involved in discussions on implementing the ten-point formula. Switzerland has offered to host a high-level conference on peace in Ukraine in the coming months with the objective of securing support at senior political level from as many countries as possible for the key principles underlying the peace plan. Outreach is ongoing with a view to securing broad participation at the conference. Ireland continues to actively support this outreach.

In the meantime, we will continue to work with international partners to advance on elements of the peace plan. A recent example is the formation of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, a co-ordinating platform for Ukraine, partner states and international organisations to address the issue of the unlawful deportation and forced displacement of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation. The coalition is co-chaired by Ukraine and Canada. The work of the coalition aligns with point four of Ukraine’s peace formula which calls for the release of all prisoners and deported persons, including children. Almost 20,000 children have been identified by Ukraine as having been illegally deported or forcibly transferred to Russia and Belarus. This is a shocking statistic but likely underestimates the true number of those forcibly removed. The coalition held its first meeting in Kyiv in November, at which the Taoiseach delivered a virtual intervention. In February, Ireland finalised its membership of the coalition, having participated in subsequent meetings.

Another area in which progress is being achieved is in efforts to counter the impacts of Russia's illegal invasion on global food security. Ireland supports President Zelenskyy's grain from Ukraine initiative and the European Union's solidarity lanes, which play an important in role in delivering Ukrainian grain to world markets. We are also engaged bilaterally in efforts to alleviate global food insecurity. Ireland will also continue to engage in relevant multilateral forums, including at the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights, to work to ensure accountability for Russian actions in Ukraine. We will continue to engage with Ukraine and our European and international partners in the months ahead to build consensus around the key principles that should inform a just and lasting peace.

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