The Ukraine reparations commission that this Government proposes we join is a very welcome idea. It is a means of showing solidarity with Ukraine and I fully accept that but I believe we can go further than just showing solidarity. I want to speak to this concept of solidarity because it is so crucial. What does solidarity mean? It is real and serious action. It is acting with justice in mind and taking meaningful steps to help the people who we mean to help. We will always stand with and support Ukraine in its mission to preserve its sovereignty. This reparations commission will work over several years to evaluate the collective damage done by Russia to Ukraine throughout the invasion. This is welcome but I have concerns that it may be an expensive, academic exercise if we do not take more action. The reparations commission will evaluate and produce a cost Russia is liable for but will Russia ever engage with its liability, other than to reject it outright? Russia is a rogue state that rejects any application of international law, so why would we expect it to suddenly accept a massive reparations bill? Russia will reject this commission's findings so we must ensure the rebuilding of Ukraine actually takes place through alternative means at the same time as the work of the commission continues. Instead of just drawing up a large bill for Russia, we need to ensure that our solidarity is felt by every day Ukrainians. I have other concerns that this new commission may sideline the primacy of Ukraine in negotiations as the assessment of claims may differ from what is needed or desired by the Ukrainian state to build positively into the future. I hope the Minister of State accepts that I am putting these forward as concerns but it in no way undermines our support for the motion. Ireland must be a leader on this action to ensure Europe does not just signal intent and support but actually takes a meaningful role in supporting Ukrainians. There is currently massive co-operation between European countries and Ukraine in terms of arms deals and military support but there is huge further potential for humanitarian assistance and transitional support. In our own history, we have received a peace dividend in the aftermath of the Troubles, as did much of the rest of Europe in the wake of World War Two. Ireland has also participated in international aid measures to countries across the globe and continues to do so. We need to remember this history, step up to the occasion and ensure that Europe is ready to assist when this war ends. In a briefing circulated by the Government Whip, we are told that Ireland's contribution to the administrative costs of the commission will be less than €1 million per year. Currently, Irish institutions are in possession of roughly €2 billion in frozen Russian assets. The Government at the very least should be looking to use this money to finance the Irish contribution to the commission, which would ensure that further pressure is put on Russia to come to the table because of Putin's reliance on these oligarchs. The nations of Europe in this initiative are coming together in a truly historic way. To rebuild a country and support a peace process of this scale is a real achievement. It must be built on to ensure that Europe is a force for peace in the world. This commission should lay the groundwork for a similar Palestinian reparations commission. When European governments freeze assets of one occupier but maintain preferential trade deals with another, it makes us all hypocrites. We need to support Ukraine and we need to use this model as a blueprint to ensure Trump and his board of ethnic cleansing do not get to pave over Palestine. A reparations commission should be formed to give real power to the establishment of a strong and secure Palestinian state and to end the illegal and despicable occupation of stolen land by Israel. The failure of European governments to uphold international law in Palestine needs to be corrected. The destruction of Ukraine and Palestine are fundamentally connected by regimes that seek to impose militarist powers through unilateral action. Europe, as a wealthy continent, should be a leader in the provision of post-war funding to build sustainable futures for Palestinians and Ukrainians. We need to recognise that peace and justice are a universal mission and the practical steps to achieving this should not be segregated by continent. This proposal in its current form will not rebuild hospitals or schools, or fund widows' pensions. If we are to rebuild Ukraine, it must be a collective and international effort. We can legislate at the national and European levels to release seized Russian assets to Ukraine. We should use the estimated more than €200 billion of frozen Russian assets in the EU banks to give an immediate and serious peace dividend to Ukraine. The use of these assets would ensure that Russians complicit in the invasion of Ukraine, those oligarchs who sought to profit from war, will not be able to use their illegal acts for personal gain. We must also learn from historical example that placing a massive reparation burden on a post-war state only sparks destabilisation and hatred. A nuclear-capable Russian state embroiled in domestic chaos is a fundamental danger to itself and the world. The nations of the world, but particularly those in Europe, must ensure that the end of Putin's war and dictatorship allows for the Russian people to exercise their right to self-determination and to construct a new government based on human rights. We can make Russia pay for its crimes right now and ensure that it is not the average citizen, who opposes Putin's war and dictatorship, who pays Putin's bills but the cronies and criminals who oppress their own people. The step to join this commission is, as I said, welcome, but there is so much more work to do. We can make Russians complicit in Putin's war and regime pay this bill. We can kick-start the rebuilding fund and then we must use the lessons learned from assessing reparations here to ensure that Palestinians get the justice they deserve by establishing a similar claims commission with justice and long-term security at its heart.

Sentiment score: 0.14