Russia’s attack on Ukraine “is an outrageous and moral breach of the most fundamental principles of international law,” the Taoiseach has said.
In a special televised address, Micheál Martin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions on Ukraine are “immoral and totally beyond comprehension”.
He warned that sanctions on Russia “will hit hard and will be far-reaching” and said Ireland stands with the people of Ukraine.
“Our thoughts are with the innocent people of Ukraine in this their most difficult hour,” he said.
“The use of brute force in pursuit of a warped goal is an affront.
“There are repercussions for global security and the economy.”
Mr Martin said Mr Putin “must be held accountable”, as he warned that the EU is to adopt tougher sanctions “than ever before to hit Putin and his henchmen where it hurts”.
“This Russian attack will cause untold hardship for Ukraine and Ireland will support them with humanitarian support,” he added.
“We are in touch with Irish people in Ukraine, and our embassy staffs are in a safe place.
“These sanctions have to be comprehensive and the most severe we have ever introduced and cannot be incremental.”
Mr. Martin was speaking ahead of his attendance at an emergency EU council meeting later today, where he said he anticipates “very strong unity”.
He said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen made “a strong statement” and the sanctions will have impacts.
Nobody wanted to be in this position, he said, adding that people made “very strong efforts” on the diplomatic front to avert this.
“These issues could have been resolved,” the Taoiseach said.
“Young lives will be lost unnecessarily. It is unacceptable that in the 21st century we are witnessing events of this kind.”
Government economics departments have been “planning to assess the likely impact of sanctions,” Mr. Martin said, adding that the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Justice will meet today to waive visas for Ukrainian family members to come here.
“The financial sector will be a key sector for sanctions, and trade and transport, but this will be discussed in greater detail this evening.
“No one country will be taking unilateral steps to deal with this issue.
“The US and EU response is a rational response to protect lives.”
All Irish citizens in Ukraine are being advised to shelter in a secure place amid Russia’s military operation in the country, with the Department of Foreign Affairs also warning citizens against moving around the country in the coming hours.
It is understood there are now 64 Irish citizens in Ukraine, down from 145 last week. Most of those remaining are said to have families and are settled in the country.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said Ireland stands in “complete solidarity” with Ukraine.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr. Coveney described the Russian military operation as an “act of aggression” against an independent sovereign nation.
Russia is “lying to the world”, he said.
“This is an illegal act of aggression by Russia. They are lying to themselves and they are lying to the world about the justification for it.
“This is, make no mistake, an act of aggression against Ukraine, an independent, sovereign country that is being attacked by an aggressive neighbor, but it is also in many ways an attack on the kind of Europe we have built together, collectively since World War Two.”
There have been “continuous efforts” to engage with Mr. Putin, Mr. Coveney said.
“Countries like France and Germany, in particular, have been constantly reaching out and Poland for that matter, in various different forms.”
He said the military operation appears to have been “planned for quite some time”.
“There have been continuous efforts to reach out to President Putin and Minister Lavrov in terms of trying to provide a basis for an alternative to war and Russia has decided to ignore all that and proceed with what seems to have been planned for quite some time.”
Mr Coveney said that the EU will not “go to war with Russia militarily”, but said that “very hard-hitting” sanctions can be expected.
“The EU and its partners need to respond. We are not going to go to war with Russia militarily, but certainly, I think the response in terms of sanctions will be very direct and very hard-hitting,” he said.
“We are seeing a language that we simply have not seen in many, many decades in Europe of aggression and of potential brutality.”
He called for a “strong response” from the European Union and the international community.
In a series of tweets this morning, Mr. Coveney said, “Russia has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. God help them.”
Ireland’s diplomatic team in Kyiv has moved to a safe place, Mr. Coveney said, and that work is underway with other colleagues from EU member states to “ensure their safety”.
News courtesy: RTE