Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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361. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if steps are being taken to expel the Russian ambassador from Ireland. [13635/22]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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413. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will review the decision not to expel the Russian ambassador; and if he will outline his Department's deliberations on this matter. [14560/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 361 and 413 together.

I understand the deep anger felt about Russia's illegal actions in Ukraine - and I understand the depth of feeling behind calls that Ireland should move to expel the Russian Ambassador.

The judgement that the government has made is that despite our vehement disagreement with the actions taken by Russia, it is better to keep diplomatic channels open, for a number of reasons. The first, fundamental, reason is that open lines of communication facilitate diplomacy - which is more important than ever in a conflict situation. They allow us to press Russia on the need for a ceasefire, and to allow for effective humanitarian intervention. Communication with the Ambassador also allows us to directly convey our strong disagreement with the Russian Government as it continues to fall short of its obligations.

Secondly, diplomatic engagement helps us to better protect Irish interests, and to protect our citizens - in Russia and the five central Asian republics for which Ireland is represented by our Embassy in Moscow.

Finally, we need to consider our actions within the context of the wider EU response. Like all of our other responses during this crisis, we are coordinating closely with EU Member States and like minded partners. When I attended the Foreign Affairs Council on 25 February, I discussed the issue of Russian diplomatic presence with my EU counterparts. We agreed that this issue would be kept under close review.