Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the Minister of State. It was a really comprehensive reply.The cross-government response has been extraordinary, as has been the support of all the people of Ireland who have stepped forward and done extraordinary things. There was a report yesterday on the news about the WALK organisation in my constituency of Dublin South-Central. The members hopped on a bus and drove over with a load of supplies for families who had children with disabilities, in particular, and people of all ages with disabilities, and they brought four families home. The discussion with them about all they had experienced was quite extraordinary. We are coming forward as a people. Today, I confirmed with Mr. Harry Crosbie that he is providing a space that he calls a loading bay. It is a massive warehouse of 8,000 sq. ft. at Vicar Street. He asked me what we would do with it. It would be good for fund raisers and a good logistical base for anything we need. He is going to pull in celebrities and we will do a heap of things there. It will be extraordinary. People are looking into their souls to see how they can respond.

There is no question that Russia's actions should be utterly condemned. There is no excuse or rationale for the sheer savagery. It is not just the invasion of Ukraine and the annihilation of its cities and people, but also the weaponising of its population and the knowledge that there is very likely to be a famine in north Africa as a consequence of it. The international community has to stand together, and I heard the Minister of State's briefing and his vision on that and the actions that have been taken. However, the consequences here are extraordinary. It is the weaponising of the economic impact of this across all of Europe. When we stand today and give our support, in some respects these days are the easy days. It is going to be hard when it has cost-of-living impacts and a heap of other impacts on us in how we live our daily lives. At that point, we have to be very clear that we stand with Ukraine and that we do not take any populist roles. I have already seen the tacit racism and the whataboutery online.

There are areas where we are challenged, such as with accommodation and services. There is no doubt about that. However, this is an extraordinary circumstance of people fleeing, and I want to look back on this time and know that we did everything we could. My father is of an age that he remembers the Second World War. He was a very young child, but he remembers the aftermath into the 1950s as well and the hardships and people growing their own vegetables and making all the choices they had to make to survive. When it was tough and really hard and it bit home, it was still the right thing to do. It is important that we stand in that solidarity.

I am very grateful to the Government and to the people of Ireland. I am very proud of the people of Ireland for the extraordinary grace, generosity and passion they show. We have shown ourselves to be who we really are. When I meet and talk to the Ukrainian ambassador, she begins her speeches with "Slava Ukraini", and I will end with that.