James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ukrainian ambassador and the delegation for attending today. Three years ago, Irish people looked on in horror at what was taking place in Ukraine. In different ways we tried to respond to the challenges faced by the Ukrainian people. In a symbolic gesture, Dublin City Council of which I was a member initiated a process that ultimately twinned Kyiv with Dublin. More recently, when I was Lord Mayor of Dublin, we opened up the house to celebrate Ukrainian independence day.

In much more than symbolic terms, Irish people put their hands up to support those who fled war. Almost 19,000 hosts welcomed Ukrainians. Three quarters of those hosts were people who had never hosted refugees and more than half of them were matched with guests through independent channels rather than through official partners or local authorities. While this demonstrates the strength of bonds in Ireland, the State must develop a better capacity to link individual citizens and hosts with potential guests. As the Irish Red Cross has noted, it costs the Government €45 a day to run State-provided accommodation. The host-led model of providing accommodation to Ukrainians costs €13 a day per person and is more socially sustainable.

In the round, our integration efforts have been profoundly successful. There are thousands of examples of this throughout the country. Many Members will have seen the recent video on Joe.ie of Misha who was relocated to Kerry. He is a ten-year-old Ukrainian boy who, I am both delighted and slightly embarrassed to say, speaks better Irish than I do. It was moving to see the joy that our national language and culture can bring to those who came here to flee war. In my constituency the volunteer-led Rathmines Ukrainian centre has offered a remarkable range of services to Ukrainians in the community, fostering inclusion and trust between locals and those who have had to relocate. These are clear examples of how integration enriches us all.

We are a small, open country in a world where big players have become increasingly assertive and willing to override norms. If we are to influence anything internationally, it is imperative that we remain at the heart of the EU. The Tánaiste and the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, are working hard on this as we prepare for our EU Presidency. We also have a conscience. Whether on Gaza, Ukraine or our leadership in peacekeeping missions in the Lebanon, the Golan Heights, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Mali and Congo, our commitment to the rights of the preyed upon is unwavering. That is why I must conclude by turning to the current events. Some parties have accepted the false narrative that Ukraine and the West provoked Russian aggression. Putin and others are using it to justify an unacceptable peace offering. This is nonsense. Ukrainian kids and families are not here because the US forced their hand. They are here because Putin is a revisionist and a despot.

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