Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was interested to hear the details of the Taoiseach's phone conversation with President Zelenskyy and with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, as he has outlined. As we know, the Russian offensive is continuing and Ukraine is under pressure. The EU is providing financial, humanitarian, emergency, budgetary and military support to Ukraine. Ireland is also giving bilateral support through stabilisation and humanitarian mechanisms.

I welcome the recent agreement by the EU to provide an extra €5 billion for Ukraine under the European Peace Facility. For Ireland, this will amount to around €128 million, having regard to our gross national income. Of course, this will involve non-lethal military support in our case. The EU must continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. The future security and defence of Europe depends on it, and I suspect that is what President Macron had in mind when he organised the conference in Paris.

I want to ask the Taoiseach about EU sanctions imposed on Russia to date. He did not mention that in his reply. The EU sanctions envoy, David O'Sullivan, is examining the circumvention of sanctions via third countries in order to prevent battlefield goods and technology assisting the Russian war effort. Has the Taoiseach been updated on this process? How is David O'Sullivan getting on with this task? My question is basically on the sanctions, how they are working and what more needs to be done in that regard.

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