I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 30 together.
Russia’s appalling military aggression against Ukraine has highlighted more than ever the importance of European unity and solidarity in response to the challenges we face. I am in regular contact with my European Union counterparts, including through the Foreign Affairs Council. In this context, I attended informal meetings of EU foreign and defence ministers in Prague in August. During these meetings, EU member states agreed to launch work to define the parameters of a possible EU military Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP, mission to provide training to Ukraine.
Ireland is supportive of the proposed mission, and sees the rationale in the EU co-ordinating bilateral training efforts that are already taking place and providing a platform to co-ordinate longer-term training in response to Ukrainian needs. Ireland is open to participation in the mission, but a decision on whether to do so will only be taken on this once work on the proposal has been finalised. The training mission will take place outside Ukraine in one or more EU member states, given the active conflict under way within Ukrainian territory.
The war on Ukraine has also seen the mobilisation of the European Peace Facility, EPF. To date, the European Union has agreed five tranches of support, amounting to €2.5 billion in military assistance for Ukraine under the EPF. The agreed support consists of €2.33 billion for lethal equipment and €170 million for non-lethal equipment, such as personal protective equipment, medical kits and fuel.
Ireland has contributed €55 million to those efforts, which is not a small amount of money. Every time €500 million is announced in a tranche, we contribute €11 million. We are playing our full part in monetary terms but we limit our financial contribution to the purchase of non-lethal equipment, such as protective equipment, helmets, fuel, winter uniforms, blankets and medical assistance - the things that soldiers need to sustain themselves. We have a very clear commitment in our programme for Government that we will support the EPF but not lethal weapons and equipment, which we do not have a lot of anyway compared with many countries.
We have also given some bilateral assistance where we shared quite a lot of military medical equipment and packs with the Ukrainian forces as well as some personal protection equipment, such as helmets.