John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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6. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for a report on his engagement with other EU member states with regard to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38587/25]

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I want to ask the Tánaiste about the special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, which we hope will be able to investigate and prosecute senior government and military leaders responsible for the crime of aggression up to and including heads of state. He might update the House in that regard.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I will begin this reply regarding Ukraine and Russia by saying that the latest information I received from our embassy in Kyiv is that it has been a particularly difficult 48-hour period. Ukraine came under large-scale drone and missile attacks again last night. According to President Zelenskyy, 18 missiles and 400 drones were deployed by Russia over a period of ten hours, targeting at least six oblasts as well as Kyiv city. In Kyiv, very loud explosions were heard for an extended period during the night and damage has been reported in at least five districts of Kyiv, including the district in which the Irish Embassy is located. At least two people are reported to have been killed in the city, and 16 injured. I am pleased that all our embassy staff are safe but, of course, very tired after a very difficult night. Residential buildings, cars, warehouses, offices and non-residential premises were set on fire. I believe the papal nuncio has now reported light damage to the Holy See chancery, most likely caused by a drone explosion nearby. I want to share that information with the House because Putin talks about peace and all of this sort of stuff, and this is what goes on in reality. We have two presidents - one who is willing to accept a ceasefire without condition to try to get into substantive peace talks, and one who keeps on avoiding that reality. Last night was really a night of horror for many people in Kyiv. I want to thank our ambassador, Jonathan Conlon, and his team. The Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, and I engage on this on a very regular basis. I am pleased they are all safe and grateful for their service but horrified at what is happening.

Our support for Ukraine is steadfast. It remains a key focus of our engagement with EU counterparts bilaterally and, of course, in Brussels. This war, and the threat posed by Russia, is not only an existential issue for Ukraine but we see it as a major challenge to the security of Europe. It is right, therefore, that support for Ukraine remains a top priority for the European Union.

Russian aggression features prominently on the monthly agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council where ministers are regularly joined by the Ukrainian foreign minister to hear directly about the situation on the ground and about Ukraine's most pressing needs. This is an important forum for discussion with my EU counterparts on how we enhance support for Ukraine so that it can defend against and deter future Russian aggression.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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What is interesting from listening to the debates here in the past week is the criticism of the Government about its stance on the Iranian regime from some of the far left voices in the House and a complete ignorance about who supplies an awful lot of these drones to Russia to continuously attack a part of Europe.

I understand the special tribunal I referred to in the question is the first international judicial body since the Second World War with jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute individuals regardless of their position suspected of committing the crime of aggression. The establishment of the tribunal marks the culmination of years of legal work by Ukraine, its partner countries, the Council of Europe and the European Union to ensure justice for the victims of Russian aggression.

Can the Minister elaborate on the European input into that and the development of that special tribunal?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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We have been extremely supportive of this at European level and remain so. I believe my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, represented us at a meeting on this recently -----

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Today.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am sorry; he is representing us in Rome today and showing the Government’s support. On 23 June, the Foreign Affairs Council discussed co-ordinating a strong and united European response behind Ukraine, including stepping up the EU’s political and military support. Ukraine’s foreign minister highlighted recent very worrying developments in Ukraine. It is absolutely clear Russia is engaging in the crimes of aggression. It is not engaging in peace talks in any good faith. It maintains is maximus demands and in this context it is more important than ever that we bolster support for Ukraine across all work stands. At the meeting in Rome today, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, and European colleagues will work constructively in assisting the work of the tribunal.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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As Chair of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, I met the ambassador recently. I am a little concerned that so much time in the House is spent on Gaza, which I understand, particularly as Chair of the committee, is justified, that Ukraine has slipped down the agenda and we need to keep it up. The continued acceleration of attacks by Russia poses a significant threat to the European Union. The Minister mentioned the largest attack in the past couple of days. In Ireland, because we are so remote, sometimes we do not appreciate that fully. However, a threat to the European Union threatens the values we take for granted and essentially threatens our way of life. The continuous highlighting of this Russian aggression against Ukrainians is necessary in the House. I welcome the opportunity and the Tánaiste’s answers on the tribunal.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is entirely correct. We cannot lose focus on what is happening in Ukraine. The UN is dealing with more conflicts than ever in its history. We discussed Sudan earlier. That is another major humanitarian catastrophe that barely gets spoken about in political dispatches in Ireland. Some colleagues do highlight it but it is not getting nearly enough attention. I worry about this kind of faux engagement on some sort of peace agreement by Russia, which is not being done in good faith while day in, day out it is pounding Ukraine and now we are witnessing a significant escalation.

In Ukraine many children have been forcibly abducted from their parents. Children have been stolen at the youngest possible age. We cannot lose focus on that either. They have been taken and effectively re-educated in Russia. I thank the Deputy for keeping the focus on this. Ireland will continue to stand with Ukraine.

We must also call out others that continue to support Russia. China wants to talk about how we can do more economically with the European Union while continuing to support those carrying out a war on the Continent.