Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of Seanad Éireann, I ask colleagues to join me in welcoming five-year-old Anastasia to the Parliament of our Republic.Laskavo prosymo do Irlandiyi. Anastasia is here with her mother, Yana. Her husband and Anastasia's dad, like thousands of others, is in a defence unit in Ukraine, fighting to keep it free and independent for his daughter's future. They have travelled 4,000 km from Kyiv to Dublin, having to leave their home under Russian artillery fire. We cannot imagine what they have gone through. We cannot imagine what it must feel like, having, like millions of their fellow Ukrainians, to seek safety in European countries. We cannot imagine what it must feel like to have your future so suddenly change. Anastasia and Yana, we welcome you here, along with your ambassador and the other refugees who join us here today, and the other members of the Ukrainian community who have been here for many years and who are now assisting their fellow citizens who are fleeing war. We welcome you as guests to our Parliament, in the same way as thousands have been welcomed to our country.

We are many thousands of kilometres away this spring morning from their country and we are all aware that, as we sit here in Dublin, bombs and missiles are descending on those who remain - their fellow citizens, their family, their friends, their neighbours, innocent Ukrainian men, women and children. In recent days, there is evidence of war crimes in Bucha that has been shown to the world. What we are facing is a regime that is led by a war criminal and he must face justice like any other war criminal.

President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people have shown, with their own words and their actions, their bravery in the face of the invasion of their country. In a previous address in this Chamber nearly 60 years ago, another President also acknowledged Irish neutrality but also acknowledged that Ireland is not neutral between liberty and tyranny and never will be. That is as true today as it was over half a century ago. As an international community, we must never be neutral in the face of tyranny. We work better when we work together. We can and we must do more. We must be relentless in our support for Ukraine, not just today, not just tomorrow, but until the war is won. Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.