According to the Taoiseach, Ireland will not be a member of a “deterrent force,” but it will take part in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine if an agreement is reached to stop the conflict, reports Breaking News.
Following Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron’s intention to form a “coalition of the willing” to support a peace agreement, Michael Martin said he informed the UK Prime Minister that Ireland is prepared to “do whatever we possibly can to help.”
Mr. Martin’s encouraging remarks were made during an emergency conference of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday with the goal of strengthening Ukraine’s military defences and security, reports Breaking News.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU Commission, put out the €800 billion “ReArm Europe” proposal, which would enable EU member states to increase their defence spending and access to additional loans.
Following the suspension of US military aid to Ukraine by President Donald Trump’s administration, the conference was called, reports Breaking News.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, thanked EU leaders for their support while attending the discussions.
During their UK-Ireland summit in Liverpool on Wednesday and Thursday, the Taoiseach spoke with Sir Keir about the most recent developments in the war in Ukraine, reports Breaking News.
Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, Mr Martin said: “I think what is very clear from talking to European leaders is the need to be more self-reliant within Europe itself, to increase Europe’s own capabilities.”
“I did speak to the British Prime Minister last evening, and I think we have said on the record publicly already, that we’re willing to do whatever we possibly can to help,” reports Breaking News.
In response to reporters’ questions about whether peacekeeping would be necessary once fighting stopped, Mr. Martin stated that Ireland “would see what we could do to help in that situation,” but he also said, “We would not be part of a deterrent force, however, which is a more longer term.”
“We don’t have that military capability. It would be a different order,” reports Breaking News.
Although Mr. Martin praised the ReArm fund, he asserted that Ireland already had room in its current “fiscal framework” to increase defence spending to the next level of its goals.
He stated that other member governments will be the fund’s primary beneficiaries.
“This is very indispensable spending in terms of the quality of lives of (EU) citizens to ensure that we can continue to have peace and prosperity into the future and also signals a growing direction in respect of self-reliance within Europe itself, in terms of its own defence and security, given the geopolitical situation as it’s emerging,” reports Breaking News.
He added: “What’s happening here does give additional mechanisms that we in other states could use. At the moment, we’re not borrowing because we have a surplus in our Exchequer financing. We have the largest capital programme (for defence) at the moment under way,” reports Breaking News.
“And also, of course, we’re particularly focusing on cyber security threats, maritime security threats, working with other member states, we’re procuring primary radar system, and we’re likely to be doing that via the joint procurement model,” reports Breaking News.
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