Ireland ‘eager to assist’ if peacekeeping mission required in Ukraine

By David Young, PA

Ireland would be “eager to assist” in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine if the war with Russia ends, the Tánaiste has said.

However, Simon Harris said there is no sign of a peace deal on the horizon, and he urged the EU and the United States to work together to ramp up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop to the fighting.

Minister for Defence Mr Harris, who attended a parade of Defence Forces veterans at McKee Barracks in Dublin on Sunday, also warned that Ireland is not “immune” from potential drone attacks in the future.

He was commenting after a week of reported drone sightings around airports and military bases in countries such as Denmark, Germany, Norway and Lithuania.

Asked about the potential for Irish troops to be involved in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, Mr Harris told the media: “It’s hard to be talking about peace in Ukraine hours after Vladimir Putin has continued his reign of terror on Ukraine.

“We saw a very significant amount of missile and drone activity in Ukraine overnight. The rest of the world – I’ve just come back from the UN (in New York) – we’re all talking about engaging in peace, and how you bring about a lasting, enduring peace.

“But Putin is showing no interest in peace. I think there’s really a question now for both the United States and the European Union as to how we work together to maximise that pressure on Putin to change his course of action. I think further sanctions are the way forward.

“In terms of peacekeeping, we have a proud track record in this country of peacekeeping. And, of course, if you got to a peace agreement and there was a requirement for peacekeepers, Ireland certainly wouldn’t recuse itself from that conversation. Would be very eager to assist.

“But, like I say, unfortunately, as of today, we have no sign or sight of a peace agreement.”

Asked about the drone incidents in other European countries during the week, Mr Harris added: “I think no country is immune from these sorts of attacks, that’s really the point we’ve been making, I suppose, for quite a period of time. It’s really one of the reasons why we’ve established a commission on the future of the Defence Forces, it is one of the reasons why we’re significantly increasing our defence force capabilities.

“We should never fool ourselves or convince ourselves that Ireland is immune from such attack. It isn’t. No country in Europe is.

“We have a war on the continent of Europe for the first time in very many, many years. And we’re also seeing the type of attacks, the type of warfare, change and evolve with the uses of technologies.

“I think it is important that in the first instance we invest in that radar capability. I like to think of it as a bit of a kind of burglar alarm type of system that gives us a greater understanding and warning as to what’s happening in our skies. That’s why I think it’s a really sensible, prudent time to invest in radar.”