Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ireland stands resolutely with the Ukrainian people as they defend their nation's right to freedom and sovereignty. Sinn Féin supports the utilisation of all diplomatic, economic and financial sanctions against Russia in response to the breaches of international law and flagrant disregard for human rights. As a neutral country, Ireland must be consistent in its stand for the observance of international law, whether it is by Russia, Israel or any other country. The efforts of the international community must be focused on building a pathway to peace through engagement and dialogue. Too many lives have already been lost. Too many have been destroyed as a result of the loss of homes or loved ones.

The war must end with the unconditional withdrawal of the Russian military and their foreign allies from Ukrainian territory. Ireland, a neutral country, a country that was occupied, divided and colonised, is well suited to acting as an honest broker in a situation such as this. The world has need of such intermediaries as it becomes more and more polarised. In more than 100 years we have not seen such a large number of great powers eye each other with such wariness and suspicion. We see this in the UN Security Council where, for the first time, all five of the permanent members seem to be pulling in different directions. In the absence of arbiters who can stand and be trusted to act without fear or favour, ending a war such as this becomes all the harder, if not impossible.

The Ukrainian people cannot afford for this war to go on and on. This war did not begin three years ago. That was only an escalation of the unrest and disruption that had already displaced thousands. Sadly, the doctrine of the Russian world is the idea that anyone in the Russian sphere of influence is theirs by right and that the Sea of Azov should be Russian alone. This is naked Russian imperialism and nothing less, with a desire to conquer and colonise eastern Ukraine for its industrialised areas and wealth of natural resources. Imperialism and colonisation have no place in the modern world. No one State can deny the self-determination of another. Countries cannot aid Ukraine in war only to turn it into a vassal state afterwards. The surrender of territory or mineral resources cannot be a precondition to peace or support during a conflict. The Ukrainian people cannot be held to ransom as the threat of violent subjugation hangs over their heads. The war must end and Ukraine must be restored so that millions of displaced people, those who stayed in Ukraine and those who fled with their families to safety, can go home and begin to build their lives in peace. Those who lent supplies and arms during the conflict must commit to building and supporting any peace process as vigorously as they did in contributing to the war.

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