Ukraine will have to be at the table for any peace talks with Russia, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.
His assertion came as European leaders convened a summit in Paris after President Donald Trump instigated peace talks with Russia, which kicked off this week in Saudi Arabia, but which excluded Europe and Ukraine.
“A peace agreement will not work without European participation at some degree,” said Mr. Martin as he arrived for a Cabinet meeting.
“The fundamental point in any peace deal is that it has to be sustainable, and has to be durable. For that to happen, there has to be very significant security guarantees to Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said that the Irish government is not at a point to discuss the deployment of Irish peacekeeping troops as part of any future ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that he was willing to send British troops to Ukraine to protect a ceasefire.
Next week marks the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor in 2022.
Simon Harris said: “Our Defence Forces have a very proud tradition of playing majorly important peacekeeping roles in a very troubled and challenging part of the globe. But we’re not at that moment yet.
“While lots of people are talking about bringing peace to Ukraine, we’re still seeing Putin engage in acts of aggression and acts of sabotage on a daily basis on Ukraine… so the most important thing right now is to stop the war, but to stop the war in a way that is consistent with the UN charter, with the territorial independence of Ukraine.”
The Tánaiste has also reiterated that Ukraine must be involved in any talks about its future.
“The Irish government’s position remains consistent, there can be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, nor can there be anything about Europe or European security without Europe in the room as well.
“Everybody wants to see peace and everyone wants to see an end to the war, but how that peace is brought about matters. Respecting people’s territorial integrity, the sovereignty of a country and indeed the UN charter is crucially important.”
