Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

The Deputy is right. We cannot walk away from supporting and standing by Ukraine. We all want peace. We all want to see the killing and the war end. We want to see the prisoners released. We saw some degree of a prisoner exchange recently. However, we do not want a peace that rewards aggression or that rips up the UN Charter. We do not want a "peace" that does not involve Ukraine. Therefore, the most important thing to do is keep the pressure up. That is why we have to support further sanctions against Russia. We welcomed the adoption of the 17th package of sanctions on 20 March. This package builds on significant bodies of sanctions the EU has put in place since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. These sanctions are clearly having an economic impact but given Russia's continuing aggression in Ukraine, we need to see further sanctions. The Commission and member states are now working on proposals for an 18th package and these proposals are expected to focus on reducing Russian revenue from the energy sector, as well as further measures to prevent Russia from accessing battlefield goods and technology.

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