Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats)

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I acknowledge the ambassador and deputy ambassador and thank them for coming to the foreign affairs committee today, and to the Ukrainians we have visiting the Chamber.

I reaffirm my commitment, our commitment as a Chamber and our solidarity with the Ukrainian people who have suffered horrendous conditions and human rights abuses for the past three years from Russia's illegal invasion. We have already heard it this evening but it bears repeating that the Ukrainian people have demonstrated a huge amount of resilience and courage in defending their country against Russia's invasion. The civilian population has endured constant danger and uncertainty and drone and missile strikes in residential areas far away from the front lines. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine estimates that over 14,000 civilians have been killed - that could be much higher now - and over 37,000 people injured since the invasion started. I cannot imagine the pain and suffering for the communities and families who have lost loved ones and, indeed, the trauma that will exist for generations.

As a country deeply committed to international law and peace, it is vital that we call out instances when the principles underpinning global peace and security are blatantly violated. This motion rightly condemns Russia’s actions and acknowledges the tremendous human cost of war. It also correctly lays out some of the necessary steps towards achieving a lasting peace in Ukraine, including exerting economic pressure on Russia to bring it to the negotiating table. Ireland can and should contribute to supporting Ukraine both unilaterally and as a member of the EU. I have concerns when it comes to Ireland's role in the coalition of the willing. I am sure the Minister of State will speak to that a little bit more in his statement. The coalition of the willing, a group whose name echoes another illegal invasion from two decades ago, the Iraq war, does not necessarily align with Ireland's position on neutrality. I am sure the Minister of State will explain a bit further, but as far as I understand, it is predominantly a military alliance. I am not sure if that is in Ireland's best interest, given our position of neutrality.

Our tradition of neutrality requires us to work through international institutions rather than through split regional blocs that may require Ireland to commit peacekeeping troops outside of the United Nations mechanism. This is our current legislative context. Whether that changes in the future, it is currently where we are. My amendment is about recognising Ireland's role as historic leaders in peace because the foundation of that leadership is our neutrality. It allows Ireland to stand as honest brokers and peacebuilders in whatever the peace process may be and the wider post-conflict future for Ukraine. We mentioned to the ambassador earlier that that feels like a very far off reality for the Ukrainian people.

I welcome the collaboration with the Fianna Fáil Senators. I thank them for accepting my amendments. Peace may seem far out of reach, as Russia ramped up its attacks last week. It is impossible to imagine that context when peace is an option.We need to look at what we can do for strengthening Ukrainian civil society and local organisations when it comes to the table. That is also about looking to provide supports to alleviate the various issues conflict can leave and the scars the conflict can have on communities. They are long-lasting scars, and we know that from our own history. I do not really want to draw huge parallels between the North and Ukraine because the scale of it is completely off the Richter charts. It is incredibly different.

We know that conflict permeates all levels of society. For peace to be sustained and for it to be just, it needs to come from the bottom up as well as the high level negotiations and summits. In fact, regardless of the facts of bottom-up or top-down, we have seen the Ukrainian Government even excluded from international talks about peace agreements and ceasefires. It baffles me that we could ever have any negotiations on peace without the Ukrainian Government present.

A study by UN Women found that peace agreements are 64% less likely to fail when civil society representatives participate and, therefore, the voices of ordinary people in peace agreements are crucial for sustained peace. We know in the North that creating the conditions for peace and assisting communities in healing from the trauma of conflict is a really important step to play. I would love to see further steps - I know the Government has done this - supporting local Ukrainian organisations, encouraging collaborations with our own organisations here and in the North, where we can share experiences and provide support, looking at the inclusion of Ukrainian voices in the peace process.

I would also like to touch on the treatment of journalists in Russian detention, including Victoria Roshchyna, who was murdered. Her corpse was brutally returned to her family, which was a calculated effort of terror by the Russian regime. Journalists are really important. They provide light in those dark spaces where regimes try to hide what they are doing. Aggressors prefer to do those things in the dark and the treatment of Ukrainian journalists in Russian detention is something worth noting. Perhaps there is support the Irish Government can give with regard to targeting media houses and sustaining journalism and journalists when they are under targeted attack by the Russian regime.

As an EU member state for over 50 years, we need to offer support to Ukrainian state institutions in meeting the EU's accession criteria so that, when the time comes for Ukraine to join the EU, whether as part of a peace deal or later on, the transition can be seamless and Ukraine can stand as an equal member with fully functioning institutions, strong rule of law and a vibrant democracy. That is what we all want.

I will conclude by standing in support. Ireland stands firmly with the people of Ukraine while remaining true to our principles of peace and neutrality. I also offer my support to the robust sanctions regime and for looking at other practical steps we might be able to take. Senator Ahearn talked about the importance of reconstruction. We also heard from Ukrainian ambassador earlier about critical energy infrastructure being systematically targeted, with people now looking to a long winter with attacks on energy, and what more can Ireland do in that space to help the rebuilding.