Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Mention was made of which side people are on. Ireland, very clearly and correctly, is on the side of international law, humanity and peace. That is our record, and where we come in and add value in situations such as this. It is entirely consistent with that position that we express, directly and clearly, our solidarity with Ukraine, as Ireland has rightly done and as we will with a motion in the House tomorrow when we express solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the struggle they are facing.

We must condemn, resolutely and completely, Russian actions because they are in breach of international human rights law and the UN Charter. That charter, founded coming out of World War II with the goal of peace, specifically the very first line which states, "[T]o save succeeding generations from the scourge of war ... armed force should not be used, save in the common interest".

When we talk about the choices we have, this is a key battle. It is not solely about Russia and Ukraine. It is also about whether we have an international politics of principles or move back to that imperial version of politics that is clearly part of the philosophy and agenda promoted by Vladimir Putin, namely military might decides everything. We had centuries of that.

I note with caution those who say this is simply about military might versus military might. We need to fight not in terms of the principle of condemning an occupation and military invasion, but also pushing back, with every international multilateral instrument of diplomacy that we have, including sanctions and other pressures, to say that we believe in the international rule of law and those instruments. In battling, we are battling for how Europe and the UN does things. That is why measures such as prosecutions in the ICC are going to be important.That is why diplomatic tools are so important. We have had these discussions previously and it is a little frustrating because we have talked about sanctions being a problem in other contexts. I agree with sanctions as a tool of diplomacy, a hard tool of diplomacy that must be used. It is appropriate that sanctions are used in this circumstance.

It is also important we push for the humanitarian issues. I do not think it is a small thing to give protective equipment or medical aid. It is a really important, if not vital, thing. It is vital for the signal it sends in terms of what we believe is acceptable with regard to how people are treated and what people suffer. It is an important thing.

When we talk about demilitarisation, I would point out that we have all been shocked to see the cluster munitions that seem to be falling on Ukraine. I was in Croke Park, representing Trócaire as part of the cluster munitions coalition, when Ireland led the negotiations for a ban on cluster munitions. Such munitions used to be commonplace and were used everywhere, but now Russia, as a nation, is flouting international law by using them. The fact is we used our powers of diplomacy to make them unacceptable on a wider scale and that is an example of where Ireland has made a huge difference in the context of saving lives.

To return briefly to the sanctions, it is appropriate we take strong measures. Indeed, I would argue they are measures we should be using in other contexts as well. The SWIFT measure is very important and I support it. It needs to be done. However, we must try to ensure it is done in a way that has maximum impact on the Russian regime while also seeking to protect ordinary Russians. While we have the SWIFT sanctions on banking, we see that the very wealthiest oligarchs get to move their money around through places like the IFSC, as they have been doing and as has been pointed out to the Irish Government for the past year and a half. A total of €34 billion is held by Russia-linked shell companies in the IFSC. The section 110 companies that were debated in these Houses previously must be tackled. In that context, I urge that we do not simply look to the banking system but also to our role and complicity in relation to Russian and Saudi money. Showing we are willing to act on this shows not that we are willing to rattle sabres but to rattle shareholders and stock markets if that is what is required to uphold the principles of international law.