We are approaching the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The resilience of the Ukrainian people in the face of that aggression has been a sight to behold. They have managed to hold off the imperialist, criminal advances of the Russian forces and keep going through four long, cold winters as their towns and cities are bombarded. Their bravery and dedication in the face of such devastation has not just kept their own nation’s freedom intact but has protected others from Putin’s vicious expansionism. We cannot take for granted that Putin would stop at Ukraine. Partner states in the Baltics feel their borders are under constant threat from Putin. We have stood by our values and played our role, whether through financial or humanitarian aid or by opening our doors to the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have found a safe welcome on our shore. We in the Labour Party have not diminished in our support for those Ukrainian refugees who still arrive. We must continue to remember those values and to deliver upon them. Ireland is a militarily neutral country. We are deeply proud of that military neutrality and we cherish it but we are not politically neutral in the face of illegal wars, war crimes and aggression and we never have been. We must continue to be clear and steadfast in saying this kind of imperialist invasion can never be accepted. Our history has taught us as much. It is vital that not only do we continue to make that case rhetorically and diplomatically but that we deliver on it and take real action where we can in support of the Ukrainian people. That means continuing to supply non-lethal and humanitarian aid where we can. It means working closely within Europe to co-ordinate supports and it means ensuring Russia is held to account for its aggression. We in the Labour Party welcome the announcement of additional aid from Ireland to Ukraine when President Zelenskyy visited this Chamber in early December. This motion is asking us to give our approval for Ireland to exercise the option to engage in enhanced co-operation in order to establish a loan of €90 billion to Ukraine. This is following a European Council decision authorising that step earlier this month. The loan, apparently, will be paid by Ukraine only when it receives reparations from Russia. Until then the Russian central bank assets are to remain immobilised and the EU reserves its right to make use of them to repay the loan. That is a welcome step. We have long argued for the use of sanctioned Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine. That is not what is being proposed here but the underlying rationale is similar, namely, Russia should pay for rebuilding Ukraine. Ukraine’s financial needs have been well-documented. The IMF estimates will need €135 billion to keep afloat through 2026 and 2027 alone. That money is needed to help the state run and to allow for basic services to continue. In the face of those needs, it is essential we do not allow the likes of Viktor Orbán to water down EU support for Ukraine. Of course, Ukraine’s military needs are also driving its financial deficit. When providing aid directly to Ukraine, Ireland has been able to carefully ensure alignment with our policy of military neutrality. We provide hundreds of millions of euro of non-lethal and humanitarian aid in line with that policy. I note the amendment tabled by Sinn Féin to this motion that lays out concerns about how this loan will interact with our military neutrality. I ask the Minister to clarify how the Government will ensure aid provided by Ireland through this mechanism continues to align with the principle of military neutrality. I have received commitments at the defence committee that we have had visibility downstream on how every euro we have given Ukraine has been spent to ensure it has been spent on humanitarian or non-lethal aid. Ireland’s provision of non-lethal and humanitarian aid has done much good for Ukraine over the years of war and we heard just that from President Zelenskyy weeks ago in this very Chamber. Our military neutrality is a cherished pillar of our foreign policy that has allowed us to play a unique role on the world stage. It must always be protected from any dilution even as an inadvertent effect of well-intentioned steps to support a friend such as Ukraine. While we in the Labour Party are proud to stand in support of the measures to support Ukraine in the face of this invasion, we need to hear assurances from the Government that the mechanism we are looking at in this motion will be aligned with our policy of military neutrality.

Sentiment score: 0.16