The foreign minister’s visit to the city of Bucha – where Russian forces are suspected of killing civilians – included a visit to a mass grave. Mr Coveney said the area had been devastated and its people devastated and he brought the story closer to the Irish by explaining that Bucha was a suburb of Kyiv, much like Sutton was for Dublin or Carrigaline for his hometown of Cork.
He spoke for the world community by expressing his utmost dismay. “If someone tells me that’s not a crime or a crime against humanity, I need to be convinced,” he said.
The minister deserves a lot of credit for that. He rightly points out that Ireland has responsibilities as a member of the United Nations Security Council, as well as key roles in other international bodies, to make its voice heard as a small, militarily neutral state that is still engaged in the world.
The horrors in Ukraine teach us that Ireland’s military neutrality is not and never was a sluggish or indolent state. The thousands who are flocking to our country seeking refuge and assistance are clear evidence of our urgent need to reconsider this country’s external security and defense policy in the near future.
The rapidly mounting effort by two of our five militarily neutral EU members – Sweden and Finland – to join the western military alliance NATO is likely to accelerate this national debate.
But that doesn’t mean that Ireland has to join NATO. This is one of the last options for this country. But a stronger engagement with the slowly evolving EU defense cooperation most likely requires our urgent attention and may be the better way forward.
Mr. Coveney’s moves to support an international legal infrastructure to fully investigate any potential crimes by Russian forces in Ukraine are both timely and inspirational, and consistent with that country’s longstanding international policy.
Note that French President Emmanuel Macron, the “Putin Whisperer”, already sent highly qualified gendarmes to Ukraine some time ago to conduct exploratory investigations in this regard.
Vladimir Putin’s regime denies targeting civilians in Ukraine and said the Bucha deaths were a “monstrous fake” staged by the West to discredit them.
Mr Coveney said his visit to Ukraine was to show solidarity and highlight Ireland’s efforts to help the country repel Russian aggression.
He came at the invitation of his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. In a Twitter post, Mr Kuleba said he was “grateful” to Mr Coveney for the trip and also grateful for Ireland’s practical help.
Mr. Kuleba also noted Ireland’s support for Ukraine’s EU membership candidacy. The Ukrainian minister pointed out that Mr. Coveney was the first foreign foreign minister to visit, and he was also the first UN Security Council official to show up.
Mr Coveney highlighted Ireland’s €20 million in humanitarian aid and its support for tough EU sanctions. He added that Ireland strongly supports Ukraine’s ambitions to join the EU and that he intends to discuss this in detail with them.
These are words of encouragement and welcome to the embattled people of Ukraine. But beyond this sympathy and funding, the government in Kyiv will look for practical results.
Realpolitik tells us that it is easy for Taoiseach Micheál Martin to be vocal in support of Ukraine’s accession aspirations at EU summits. Such a move is rightly viewed as extremely problematic given that this country is at war – and any potential candidate country needs the unanimous support of all 27 current member states. The bar is set high and skepticism from many governments is widespread.
The real question is how much scarce political capital Mr Martin and his government colleagues are willing to spend in the coming weeks in support of Ukraine’s EU accession aspirations. This will certainly be the standard by which Kyiv will judge Dublin’s sincerity.
At the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg earlier this week, there were signs of progress for Ukraine and neighboring Georgia and Moldova.
But applications for membership still take a long time, and Ukraine’s case is currently more difficult than many.
It was encouraging to hear Mr Coveney say Ireland would use its seat on the Executive Board of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to ensure that any use of chemical weapons is followed up by the international community. He also stressed the need for diplomacy in seeking a peaceful outcome.
Ireland has a voice on the world stage and we have an obligation to use it too.
Mr. Coveney has rendered us some services on this occasion.
https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/coveneys-surprise-visit-to-ukraine-was-brave-and-timely-but-an-embattled-people-want-tangible-results-to-follow-41555626.html Coveney’s surprise visit to Ukraine was bold and timely, but an embattled people want tangible results to follow
