Regina Doherty (Fine Gael)
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I move:

"That Seanad Éireann:

- condemns without reservation the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation which commenced on 24th February, 2022;

- expresses its unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders;

- is appalled at the actions of the armed forces of the Russian Federation which have resulted in the wide-scale destruction and damage to infrastructure, critical to the survival of the civilian population of Ukraine, which is designed to terrorise the people of Ukraine;

- believes that the actions of the Russian government in invading the territory of a sovereign independent state are an affront to humanity, conducted with flagrant disregard for international law;

- recalls Ukraine’s inherent right of self-defence against Russian aggression, which it is exercising in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Charter;

- condemns Russia’s threats of use of nuclear weapons, and condemns all nuclear threats, whether they be explicit or implicit and irrespective of the circumstances;

- recalls the Resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly on: - 2nd March, 2022, which deplored in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in violation of Article 2 (4) of the United Nations Charter;

- 24th March, 2022, which demanded an immediate cessation of the hostilities by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, in particular of any attacks against civilians and civilian objects; and also demanded that civilians, including humanitarian personnel, journalists and persons in vulnerable situations, including women and children, be fully protected;

- 7th April, 2022, which suspended the rights of membership of the Russian Federation in the Human Rights Council in light of ‘the reports of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation, including gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights’;

- 7th October, 2022, which condemned the organisation by the Russian federation of illegal so-called referendums in regions within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and the attempted illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine; - takes note of the Resolution adopted by the European Parliament on 19th May, 2022, calling for ‘the EU institutions and Member States to take all necessary action in international institutions and proceedings and at the ICC or other appropriate international tribunals or courts to support the prosecution of the Russian and Belarussian regimes for war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide and crimes of aggression’;

- further recalls resolutions GOV/2022/17, GOV/2022/58 and GOV/2022/71 of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency entitled ‘The safety, security and safeguards implications of the situation in Ukraine’ adopted by the Board of Governors on 3rd March, 2022, 15th September, 2022, and 17th November, 2022 respectively;

- further takes note of the Resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on 14th November, 2022, recognising ‘the need for the establishment, in cooperation with Ukraine, of an international mechanism for reparation for damage, loss or injury, and arising from the internationally wrongful acts of the Russian Federation in or against Ukraine’;

- welcomes: - the decision of the European Council on 23rd June, 2022, to grant candidate status for EU membership to Ukraine and the Council’s acknowledgement at its meeting on 9th February, of the considerable efforts that Ukraine has demonstrated in recent months towards meeting the objectives underpinning its candidate status for EU membership;

- the decision by the Government of Ireland to provide humanitarian and stabilisation funding and in-kind support to Ukraine of over €55 million in 2022; as well as committing non-lethal aid amounting to €77 million through the European Peace Facility;

- the solidarity shown by all EU Member States in hosting Ukrainian people fleeing from conflict under the EU Temporary Protection Directive;

- thanks the Irish people for the support and kindness they have shown to the Ukrainian people who have come to Ireland over the past year;

- condemns the Government of Belarus for facilitating Russian aggression against Ukraine;

- noting Article 29 of Bunreacht na hÉireann’s commitment to the ideal of peace and the peaceful settlement of international disputes, underscores the need to reach, as soon as possible, a just and lasting peace in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and welcomes initiatives such as President Zelenskyy’s 10 point peace plan in that regard;

- calls for:

- the immediate withdrawal of all forces of the Russian Federation from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders;

- civilians, including humanitarian personnel, journalists and persons in vulnerable situations, including women and children, to be fully protected;

- full respect for and protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population and civilian infrastructure that is critical to the delivery of essential services in armed conflict;

- full respect for the importance of nuclear safety and security, in all circumstances, including in armed conflict;

- the Government to explore all possibilities of ensuring that those responsible for breaches of international law, in particular where such breaches may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, or the crime of aggression, be brought to justice and to continue to work within the rules-based multilateral order, including United Nations, together with others, in order to seek to ensure that there shall be no impunity for such crimes;

- the Government to continue to formally make known to the Russian government our horror at their actions and condemn them without reservation, and to support EU sanctions against the military and defence industry in Russia, as well as other relevant sectors, individuals and entities supporting and financing the continued Russian invasion and occupation of Ukraine;

- the Government to continue to provide support to Ukraine, provide the Ukrainian government and people with political, humanitarian, financial and other appropriate support as they deal with this crisis; and

- concludes that:

- the ongoing unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine is a violation of the principles of international law, and has resulted in untold suffering for the people of Ukraine, as well as having impacts globally in terms of food and energy security;

- in its illegal and immoral actions against Ukraine since 24th February, 2022, Russia is acting in breach of international law; and

- it is therefore incumbent on Ireland to continue to speak out against Russian aggression and to work within international bodies, including the United Nations and the European Union, with a view to holding Russia accountable and upholding the principles of international law, human rights, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states."