Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I too welcome the ambassador of Ukraine, H.E. Ms Larysa Gerasko, and the ambassador of Lithuania, H.E. Mr. Marijus Gudynas, who are friends to many of us in this House. I hope our words today show the solidarity across these Houses with them and the people of Ukraine who must always be in our thoughts. I thank the Minister of State for being here because I know he has provided leadership on this issue. The Government has been particularly strong in doing whatever we can to support Ukraine.

The question today is why this matters. Why are we having this debate here and why is this issue important? There are so many other issues we could be addressing but why is it fundamentally important for the Irish Parliament and people to talk about this and what more can we do.

The Minister of State is a few years younger than me. We are lucky in many ways to have grown up during the nineties or noughties. If we remember that time, it was a period of great global optimism. We saw the old Soviet structures breaking down and the countries of central and eastern Europe getting their freedom. I do not know if the Minister of State remembers but I certainly remember the Berlin Wall coming down. In South Africa, we saw Nelson Mandela being set free and we had the peace process in this country. In the 15 year-period between 1989 and 2004, when many Members of this House were starting to grow up, the number of democracies globally doubled. It was a period of great optimism. However, young people coming of age today are facing into a world, as Senator Hoey has outlined, with increasing levels of conflict but also increasing levels of authoritarianism. We are not just talking about Xi Jinping in China or the despotic regimes in Iran or Venezuela but very clearly about what is happening in Putin's Russia where his own people are suffering as well as the people of Ukraine. The sooner he can be removed, the better.

The values of human rights, the rule of law and, dare I say it, hope are the values we need to continue to express both domestically and at international and multilateral forums, including the European Union and the United Nations. I know we have been doing that. If there is a reason we can learn from history, we need to think about our country's own history, the pain and suffering we went through and the difficult relationship we had with a larger neighbour. Over time, we gained our independence and grew as a State. Citizens from our country found sanctuary in other locations. We need to also communicate that story in saying why we stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Our 50-year membership of the European Union has been incredibly good for Ireland in many different ways. In 1990, when Ireland held the EU Presidency, we oversaw the unification of Germany, which was not supported by every EU member state at the time. In 2004, during the Irish EU Presidency, we saw the accession of ten countries, mainly from central and eastern Europe, including Lithuania. Regarding the Minister of State's own role, during the second half of 2026, when Ireland holds the rotating Presidency, he must continue to ensure that enlargement is a priority for Ireland. I ask him to continue to ensure that Ukraine's path to membership of the European Union will be a priority. That may be ambitious but he an ambitious man and I do not doubt his ability to drive it. I hope to see Ukraine become an EU member by the time of the EU Presidency in late 2026. We should do everything possible to support that goal of the Ukrainian people.

Ireland has been very strong at the UN Security Council in speaking about our values around human rights. More than ever before, in reviewing our own security and making defence decisions, the removal of the triple lock is critical and essential. Our foreign policy should not in any way be held hostage by the decisions of Russia, China or the United States. We, as a sovereign country, should be able to make our own decisions. The approach of the Government and the Tánaiste in seeking the removal of the triple lock when we make decisions around peacekeeping is the correct one. That is increasingly being shown with conflicts around the world.

I get the point that people have been making around sanctions and asking if we can do more. The European Union needs to do more but there are European companies that are continuing to operate in Russia. Yale School of Management, for instance, has been tracking these companies and some of them are continuing to operate as if nothing has happened.I am very proud of any Irish companies with operations there that removed them as quickly as they could. They will not trade or engage with Russia. However, the Minister of State needs to raise with his European counterparts the approach of companies in other countries, some of which are well-known brand names. For example, in France, Clarins, Etam, Lacoste - all well-known brand names - are continuing to trade with Russia as though nothing has happened. We need to ensure that we show solidarity and seek to call out those companies which continue to trade.

What we are discussing is also critically important in the context of the upcoming European elections. We need to look at supporting politicians and political parties that have stood up for human rights and the rule of law. There are very legitimate concerns about the approach of the Left group within the European Parliament. The voting records of some of the Independent MEPs and the Sinn Féin MEP within the European Parliament need to be addressed. We cannot pretend to express solidarity on this island and then go to Brussels or Strasbourg and effectively work as puppets for Putin or excuse some of his actions. We know from the voting records of those four MEPs in recent years - and, on a number of occasions, those of members of the Left group - that they have not stood up to Vladimir Putin. In the context of the elections later this year, it is critical that we look at who we are going to send to Europe, the issues they are raising and who they support within the European Parliament.

Other colleagues referred to those who have come from Ukraine in order to seek refuge on these shores. Irish people are incredibly welcoming. We understand the difficulties that people from Ukraine have faced. Ukrainians are involved in many communities. They enrich them through helping development groups and being involved in Tidy Towns groups, music and so on. The more support we can provide to facilitate that integration, the better. That requires some financial support as well.

We have to continue to tackle the misinformation and, more worryingly, the disinformation being spread by some extreme groups. There are challenges. We should not shy away from that. I am totally happy with us having an open and honest evidence-based debate on immigration, but the Government must tackle some of the deliberate disinformation that is being spread. It is more important than ever that we talk about the values that make us Irish, namely, our generosity and the importance that we place on human rights.

I thank the Minister of State for his work on this matter. The message needs to be sent to the people of Ukraine that for as long as people here in Ireland can, we will continue to support you in your fight.