Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We all remember with disbelief the morning we saw on our screens the invasion and attacks on Ukraine by Russian forces ordered by Putin and his regime in Moscow. There has been massive suffering and hardship and an enormous number of civilian and military deaths on both sides. It is heartbreaking to see the constant stream of videos. It is as if we are watching video games of drones chasing people down and killing them. It is absolutely horrific. Similar to Gaza and the occupied territories in the West Bank and Palestine, there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure, including electricity plants, healthcare and educational facilities, colleges and homes. Similar to Gaza, these amount to war crimes. Unfortunately, there is a lot of hypocrisy on the Government side when Members rightly talk about Russia and Russian leaders being sanctioned while, at the same time, there is utter silence about sanctions on Israel for the exact same actions that are being carried out by the Israelis.

I call for a co-ordinated and concerted effort by the international community to secure an end to the hostilities and build peace. The Irish people have opened their hearts and homes to tens of thousands of Ukrainian people in the wake of the Russian invasion. Irish people know about invasion. We know occupation and we know all about partition. Our country is still partitioned over 100 years since the liberation of 26 of our 32 counties.

All wars end and this war should end today. Sinn Féin calls for a sustainable, permanent and just outcome to the war through a negotiated peace settlement. It is clear that many Ukrainian people here in Ireland want to return home to a stable and peaceful country. We are all united in this desire for a sustainable and just peace. The message to Trump and Putin and their regimes must be clear. Any new negotiations regarding the future of Ukraine can only take place with Ukraine at the table. Nothing can be decided about Ukraine, without Ukraine.

Ireland is militarily neutral. However, we are not politically neutral. Ireland can send out a very powerful message that peace with justice is the only pathway forward for the people of Ukraine and indeed also the ordinary people of Russia.

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