Ireland has been supporting Ukraine and the Ukrainian people both bilaterally and through the EU budget since Russia’s full-scale invasion was launched on 24 February 2022.
Ireland’s support has been directed at addressing the humanitarian consequences of the invasion, as well as supporting the Ukrainian government, public services and economy. We have also contributed to the provision of non-lethal assistance to Ukraine to assist it in withstanding the Russian aggression.
Ireland has to date welcomed over 80,000 Ukrainians under the Temporary Protection Directive, which equates to some 1.5% of our population. The Irish Government has provided over €174 million in bilateral support to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, comprising approximately €52.5 million in stabilisation and humanitarian support and approximately €122 million in non-lethal military assistance via the European Peace Facility (EPF). In line with the Programme for Government, Ireland’s support for Ukraine under the EPF is directed solely towards non-lethal assistance, and helps to supply items such as medical equipment, food, personal protective equipment and fuel.
€75 million was announced in Budget 2023 to address humanitarian and other needs in Ukraine, neighbouring countries and the global response to the crisis. This will include €32 million in direct support to Ukraine and its neighbours.
Ireland supports initiatives to bring to account perpetrators of atrocity crimes committed in Ukraine in the context of Russia’s aggression. In that respect, I note the importance of the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Children’s Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, in respect of possible war crimes related to the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia.
In March 2022, Ireland was one of 43 states which referred the situation in Ukraine to the ICC, in order to allow the ICC Prosecutor to immediately start an investigation. Ireland committed a total of €3 million in voluntary contributions to the ICC in 2022, including €1 million to the Office of the Prosecutor in order to address urgent resource needs across all situations before the Court, following the opening of the Ukraine investigation.
Ireland also supports accountability for the Russian leadership responsible for the crime of aggression, a crime that is outside the jurisdiction of the ICC’s investigation in Ukraine. Ireland welcomes the proposal to establish the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine as an important practical step in this direction. In February, Ireland joined 32 other states in the Core Group on the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression to address the complex legal and practical issues that arise in trying to establish a credible, legitimate and effective tribunal to deal with this crime.
