Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to second the amendment to No. 7 on the Order of Business. I support colleagues calling for a debate on what is happening in Crimea in particular and Ukraine generally.

The press conference given by Mr. Putin today was bizarre. He denied that the troops in Crimea are Russian. He suggested that they might have bought their uniforms. There is a serious background to this issue. It is not all one-sided. Baroness Ashton has spoken on behalf of the EU. I do not think the EU is speaking with one voice on this issue. The question of trade is involved. I believe the EU acted provocatively by trying to negotiate an important deal with Ukraine without being conscious of the fact that Ukraine is supplied with gas and oil by Russia. The EU authorities did not seem to be conscious of the offence they were causing to Russia. The President of Ukraine was forced to resign or withdraw and he has since left the country. It was noted that when Baroness Ashton greeted the release of the former president, in a sense she endorsed her as a future candidate. Her record in government is not particularly good. I think the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade should reiterate our position to Baroness Ashton, who represents the EU and not herself. She should be very cautious before she embraces any candidate for the future presidency of Ukraine. Other candidates are emerging at the moment. It is in this context that I believe the EU is acting provocatively. It is also worth mentioning that NATO is seeking for Ukraine to join NATO. We should all be aware of what is happening. I remind the House that Russia, which is a member of the Council of Europe, invaded part of Georgia and has held onto it without any repercussions. It is unlikely that it will hold onto Crimea.