Ireland would be “eager to assist” in a potential peacekeeping operation in Ukraine if the conflict with Russia comes to an end, the Tánaiste has said, reports Breaking News.
However, Simon Harris acknowledged that there is currently no indication of a peace agreement being reached, and he called on both the EU and the United States to intensify efforts to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into halting the war.
Speaking at McKee Barracks in Dublin on Sunday, where he attended a parade honouring Defence Forces veterans, Mr Harris, who is also Minister for Defence, cautioned that Ireland is not “immune” to the risk of future drone attacks, reports Breaking News.
His comments followed a week in which drone activity was reported near airports and military installations in several European nations, including Denmark, Germany, Norway, and Lithuania.
When asked whether Irish soldiers might participate in a future peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, Mr Harris responded: “It’s hard to be talking about peace in Ukraine hours after Vladimir Putin has continued his reign of terror on Ukraine,” reports Breaking News.
“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,” reports Breaking News.
“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,” reports Breaking News.
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,” reports Breaking News.
“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,” reports Breaking News.
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