Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 May 2024
52. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the outlook for the remainder of 2024 in terms of the conflict in Ukraine; how this will impact Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20890/24]
View answerI thank the Tánaiste for his leadership over the past two years on the issue of Ukraine, as Taoiseach and as Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs. I ask him to provide an update on the outlook for 2024 in terms of the conflict and the implications for Ireland. I also ask him to provide an update on upcoming events in Europe in respect of the conflict in Ukraine.
I thank Deputy Griffin for his question and kind remarks. Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine remains a grave threat to all of Europe. Russia is demonstrating a clear desire to continue escalation and has projected momentum on the battlefield in recent weeks, taking advantage of Ukraine’s shortage of military material, particularly air defence, by launching fresh offensives and bombardments along the front line. At the same time, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure. The situation remains fluid and unpredictable. It is more important than ever that we continue to work to maintain support at EU level as Ukraine enters what will likely be an even more challenging period ahead.
While the direct impact on Ireland may be limited compared to neighbouring countries, we have witnessed over the past two years that no country is immune to the indirect effects of this war. Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine has threatened global food security, disrupted trade routes, displaced millions, and undermined the multilateral order. Ireland is also vulnerable to hybrid attacks and cyberattacks from Russia, including the purposeful use of disinformation. Taken together, Russia's actions represent a fundamental threat to European security. Working with our EU and international partners is the only way that we can collectively defend against the direct and indirect impacts of Russia’s war.
As they defend their own territorial integrity and sovereignty, Ukrainians are also defending Europe's fundamental and universal freedoms. Ukraine's ten-point peace plan focuses on the core principles enshrined in the UN Charter, including the right to live in peace and security. I welcome that Switzerland will host the first summit on peace in Ukraine on 15 and 16 June. While Russia has no interest in entering serious negotiations based on core tenets of international law at present, this summit represents an important first step in bringing the international community together at a senior political level to agree on the principles of a future just and sustainable peace. In the run-up to the summit, Ireland will continue to work towards building a common understanding among global partners for a comprehensive, just, and durable peace.
I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. I also welcome the forthcoming summit, which is important. Whether anything meaningful will arise from it is yet to be seen but all possible efforts must be made. I ask the Tánaiste to elaborate on Ireland's position on the use of seized Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine. Does he believe that those assets should be sold or should interest from those assets be used? Certainly, we know there is a huge amount of money involved.
I also ask the Tánaiste for his views on the effectiveness or otherwise of the sanctions to date. I am interested in some European banks which are doing particularly well in Russia at the moment and whose profits there have soared since 2022. Perhaps the Tánaiste could raise that with his European counterparts if given the opportunity in the future.
Ireland welcomed the agreement reached at EU level in February to set aside the revenue generated from Russia's immobilised sovereign assets to support Ukraine. The windfall revenues earned and generated from the assets that are immobilised at the moment will be used to support Ukraine. Our view is that when a country like Russia illegally invades another country and destroys its infrastructure, it cannot be left to the rest of Europe and those who abide by the UN Charter to reconstruct. When we look at various wars in recent times, we see this phenomenon of levelling entire cities. We have seen it in Syria, with the levelling of Aleppo, for example. Entire communities and towns are just levelled. We see it in Gaza and we have seen it in Ukraine. There has to be accountability and the use of the immobilised assets is one avenue. We are actively engaged in discussions on how the revenue can be transferred and used to aid Ukraine. The latest proposal provides that 90% of the available net revenue would be channelled through the European Peace Facility, while 10% would be channelled through the EU budget. It is important to co-ordinate with international partners, including the G7, to give careful consideration to applicable laws and to take into account the views of the ECB. The latter has concerns about the euro. My view is that the level of destruction is such that Russia has to pay for some of this.
I welcome all such moves. They are all heading in the right direction but the question is whether enough is being done. The question of using the revenue generated rather than realising the full value of assets is something that needs to be revisited. The EU also needs to co-ordinate with other world leaders in terms of a response to this. This is one of the most horrendous conflicts in human history, not to mention our lifetime. Of course, psychopathic leaders like Vladimir Putin will stop at nothing. It is always someone else's children who are sent over the front line. When we have people like that, there has to be a robust response from the civilised and democratic world. As a country, we must continue to provide any assistance we can to Ukraine. We need to be leaders in that regard to assist the people who are suffering in that country at the moment. There are many people suffering in Russia as well, who do not want to have any part in this war. There are hundreds of thousands of people affected in Russia, who do not want their children or their soldiers over there. We need to continue with our efforts on every front.
The World Bank estimates that the reconstruction bill for Ukraine will be $486 billion over the next decade. That will continue to rise each day. We are engaged in discussions on short-term recovery efforts including the provision of prefabricated homes to support communities. We have made financial support available to do that. A recovery conference will be held in Berlin in June.
There have been 13 targeted sanctions packages so far, with over 2,000 individuals and entities now subject to European Union restrictive measures. Ireland has frozen approximately €1.9 billion of funds belonging to such individuals and entities. Discussions on a fourteenth package are ongoing. We will continue to support measures to effectively implement sanctions and combat circumvention, particularly any work to limit Russia's access to sensitive items and battlefield goods. We support the work of the EU sanctions envoy, Mr. David O'Sullivan, an Irishman who has done a great deal of effective work on the circumvention issue on behalf of the European Union.
