Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach. He is very kind. It is a great honour to have my family here today.

I welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, here today to speak on EU plans to support the people of Ukraine and the measures to be put in place to mitigate against the potential impact of sanctions in respect of energy and grain costs. This is potentially the most devastating European conflict since the Second World War. There are over 41 million people in Ukraine, which is the second largest country on the European continent after Russia. It has been an independent country since the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, has valuable access to the Black Sea and is bordered by seven countries, namely, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. We see Russia sending in so-called peacekeepers to a sovereign country and declaring the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent. As the Minister has stated, Ireland's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and its right to choose its own foreign and security policy path is unwavering.

In terms of diplomacy and the outright aggression we see now by Russia, will the Minister update the House as to how the EU plans to support the safety of the Ukrainian people? Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council say that this is illegal and unacceptable and that it violates international law and Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. What can be done for financial assistance?

At a trade level, only recently the BBC pointed to how Russia has been setting up large foreign exchange reserves, up to $630 billion, to sanction-proof its economy since the imposition of sanctions in 2014 over Crimea. In this regard, Russia supplies a huge amount, nearly 40 to 50%, of gas to Europe. In recent sanctions, Germany has suspended the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Even in the last couple of days, the price of a barrel of oil have increased massively and is now close to $100 a barrel. Russia and Ukraine account for nearly one third of the world's grain. Their wheat exports are incredible. The impact this will have on food prices is considerable. In terms of the export of grain and of wheat production, Russia has surpassed itself. In 2000 it produced approximately 30 million tonnes of grain annually and exported only 696,000 tonnes. In 2010, it doubled that production to 60 million tonnes and exported 18 million tonnes. In 2020 it produced a record 85 million tonnes and exported 35 million tonnes. It plays a huge part in global food markets. Ukraine exports 24 million tonnes. Together, they account for more than one third of the world market. Given the presence of so many Russian troops surrounding Ukraine, the incursion into Donetsk and Luhansk and the potential for a full-scale invasion, will the Minister give an update from an Irish perspective on his recent meeting in Brussels and the plans for these potential economic impacts? I acknowledge the incredible work by his Department and the strong support from Senator Seery Kearney for Irish families involved in surrogacy at the moment. How do we as a small nation with a strong voice and a seat on the UN Security Council support democracy?