Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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11. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the action he is taking in relation to diplomatic outreach efforts and co-operation with Ukraine and other countries to ensure the widest possible international support for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace on the basis of the key principles and objectives of Ukraine's peace formula; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10899/24]

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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61. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is supportive of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s peace formula; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10852/24]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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There have been proposals for peace in Ukraine, some of which are barely worth considering. There was what I might describe as a Russian-friendly proposal mooted at one stage, including, I think, by some Members of this House, that would allow Russia to retain jurisdiction over the likes of Crimea, etc., which does not even bear considering. It is more acquiescence and surrender than peace. In any event, there is a proposal from Ukraine for peace. What are the Tánaiste's views on that? Does he think it will gain traction at an international level?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 61 together.

Along with our European Union partners, Ireland continues to engage internationally to build broad support for a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine based on the Ukraine peace plan. It is up to Ukraine to determine the terms and conditions under which it should engage in peace negotiations. Russia has stepped up its large-scale assaults on civilians in recent weeks and has intensified its offensive along the front line. President Putin's recent rhetoric threatens escalation rather than de-escalation. While the world calls for peace, respect for international borders and territorial integrity, Russia continues to choose the path of aggression.

Ireland fully supports President Zelenskyy’s ten-point point peace formula. Working groups have been established by the Ukrainian side for each point of the plan, with the aim of translating political support into practical and pragmatic implementation. Ireland has been participating in a number of the working groups, including on food security, restoration of justice and nuclear safety, and recently attended meetings on preventing escalation and confirmation of the end of the war. Ireland also participated at senior official level in recent meetings on the peace formula in Malta and Davos, in which a large number of countries from different regions of the world participated. There are now 80 countries from across the globe involved in discussions on implementing the ten-point formula. Switzerland has offered to host a high-level conference on peace in Ukraine in the coming months with the objective of securing support at senior political level from as many countries as possible for the key principles underlying the peace plan. Outreach is ongoing with a view to securing broad participation at the conference. Ireland continues to actively support this outreach.

In the meantime, we will continue to work with international partners to advance on elements of the peace plan. A recent example is the formation of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, a co-ordinating platform for Ukraine, partner states and international organisations to address the issue of the unlawful deportation and forced displacement of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation. The coalition is co-chaired by Ukraine and Canada. The work of the coalition aligns with point four of Ukraine’s peace formula which calls for the release of all prisoners and deported persons, including children. Almost 20,000 children have been identified by Ukraine as having been illegally deported or forcibly transferred to Russia and Belarus. This is a shocking statistic but likely underestimates the true number of those forcibly removed. The coalition held its first meeting in Kyiv in November, at which the Taoiseach delivered a virtual intervention. In February, Ireland finalised its membership of the coalition, having participated in subsequent meetings.

Another area in which progress is being achieved is in efforts to counter the impacts of Russia's illegal invasion on global food security. Ireland supports President Zelenskyy's grain from Ukraine initiative and the European Union's solidarity lanes, which play an important in role in delivering Ukrainian grain to world markets. We are also engaged bilaterally in efforts to alleviate global food insecurity. Ireland will also continue to engage in relevant multilateral forums, including at the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights, to work to ensure accountability for Russian actions in Ukraine. We will continue to engage with Ukraine and our European and international partners in the months ahead to build consensus around the key principles that should inform a just and lasting peace.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Tánaiste. It is encouraging to hear that progress is being made internationally and that many partners are working with us and others to advance that. Continued Russian aggression is a concern, primarily in Ukraine but also, as the Tánaiste referenced in earlier remarks, in other theatres. I was struck by President Macron's recent remarks that the European Union's response must step up. Of course, he was conciliatory in the early stages. He was almost apologetic for that recently when he perhaps reflected that he was overly optimistic or naive. He also referenced Russian activity in the Balkans and Africa. If anyone has spent any time in the developing world or has any contacts or follows the situation there, Russia is active in the global south and across every underdeveloped country in advancing influence, in infrastructural supports, although China is probably more to the fore on that side, and in undermining and planting a seed for its own ideological status. It is almost as if a new Cold War has taken seed. It is not just in the developing world because this country is also not immune to disinformation or misinformation. We have seen that play out in the West across many elections and political debates. It is a corrosive, toxic presence. Russia's aggression on every front has to be tackled robustly.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy. He will get a chance to come back in.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy's points are well made. There is a real fear in eastern European countries, in the Baltics in particular, not just among elected political representatives but among the people in these countries about Russia's positioning. If Russia gains further ground in Ukraine, these countries genuinely feel they are next. It is sinister and threatening that the Russian President has laid charges against political leaders in all of those countries, saying they will be arrested and detained. It is wrong. Its influence in Africa has been malign and about grabbing the resources of the countries in which it has been behind coups. We saw recently in Mali and now in Niger the influence of the Wagner Group, for example. It is very destructive. It is about securing as many mineral assets as it can to get control over them, which is to the detriment of the population of these countries. Russia is a bad actor on the international scene.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Tánaiste. We are over time. There are two minutes left for this question and then the questions will finish. There will not be time for any more questions, unfortunately.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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How concerned is the Tánaiste, because I presume he is in some way concerned and I imagine probably very concerned, about the possible ascension of President Trump part 2 in the United States? I was disappointed to see Nikki Haley bow out of that race. I suppose the Irish preference would be for President Biden to continue. In any event, there is a risk of a repositioning of the United States on the international scene. It is quite extraordinary that the party of Reagan, who oversaw glasnost, perestroika and the dismantling of the Iron Curtain now advocates a withdrawal from Europe and effective acquiescence to the Russian bear. It is quite a turnaround but nothing surprises about the individual who is seeking the Presidency at the moment. What can Ireland do on that front? How concerned is the Tánaiste that the international order will alter if that comes to pass later in the year?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As a representative of the Irish Government, we do not interfere in the political deliberations within the United States. There is a general election. It is democracy. People will make their choice. We have appreciated President Biden's transatlantic reach and the transformation in that relationship over the last number of years, the commitment to climate change and also the general working in partnership with Europe, which is important in terms of overall security but also for economic relationships, prosperity and so forth, as well as in trying to deal with war and conflict across the world.

The Deputy referenced President Macron. He is articulating a sense of a lack of long-term certainty in US policy more generally and perhaps a growing isolationism within the US political world. That is why he is calling for a stronger European resilience on many fronts as a response to that and that Europe needs to be in a position to stand on its own two feet. That is not going to happen any time soon, if we are honest. The US-Europe partnership is key and essential. Nonetheless, President Macron's points are well-made and we have learned that from Covid right through to the current war in Ukraine and the crisis more generally within Europe because of the stance Russia has taken.