Ireland will keep a diplomatic presence in Ukraine 'as long as it is safe'

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney speaking to the media outside Grand Central Hotel in Belfast. Picture date: Friday September 17, 2021.

Foreign Affairs minister Simon Coveney has said Ireland will continue to keep a diplomatic presence in Ukraine "as long as it is safe" to do so.

Mr Coveney was speaking as the Government advised against all travel to Ukraine amidst rising tensions in the country as Russian troops build-up on its borders, and asked citizens to leave immediately by commercial means.

Around 50 Irish people have registered with the Irish embassy in Ukraine.

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Coveney said it is important not to over-heat the situation.

"We can't ignore, obviously, the warnings coming from the UK and the US.

"But certainly we believe that war and an invasion is not inevitable and can be avoided through intensive diplomacy.

There are real efforts to prevent a military invasion of Ukraine, and I think we should be doubling down on those efforts - rather than creating some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy here.

"I believe that, certainly from all the different sources that we're speaking to, an invasion can still be avoided - and I think that should be the focus now."

The minister says while there is no EU division on this, there is a lack of detail over potential sanctions.

"What hasn't happened is a package of sanctions - in terms of the details of those sanctions haven't been settled on yet.

But I think it's very clear and agreed that should Russia invade Ukraine, the response would need to be very significant.

"That means a significant economic impact on the EU as well as Russia in terms of the potential impact on financial services, on energy prices, on the ability to travel and do business and trade.

"So nobody escapes here, which is why the last thing we want is to have to trigger a package of sanctions like that, and of course for Russia to respond in kind."

Mr Coveney says Ireland intends to keep diplomatic staff in Ukraine where two diplomats are currently stationed in Kiev.

"Over the weekend I spoke at length to our ambassador there... she believes she should be staying, and I agree with her.

"Virtually every country is keeping at least a skeleton diplomatic staff in their embassy in Kiev, and we're doing the same.

"We will keep a diplomatic presence there as long as it is safe".

And he says this is also important for Irish families involved in surrogacy.

"One of the reasons why Ukraine is complex from a consular perspective is that there are quite a number of Irish families who are involved in surrogacy in the Ukraine.

"We need to manage those cases as sensitively and as carefully as we can - and that's one of the important roles of our diplomatic staff in Kiev at the moment."

I think war can be averted, but we also have to be realistic that it is a very real possibility and we have to be prepared for how we would respond to that.

"But I think it's important not to raise the temperature in terms of language right now - instead, I think we need to be focusing on the language of diplomacy and compromise rather than war drums - there's been enough of that."

Emergency Travel Cert

Surrogacy legal expert Annette Hickey called on the Department of Foreign Affairs to expedite the Emergency Travel Cert system for couples arriving back into Ireland with a baby born through surrogacy in Ukraine.

At present the process can take up to four weeks, and it should be shortened in the circumstances, she urged. Whatever can be done to expedite the process should be done, Ms Hickey said. 

These were unprecedented times, there was no blueprint for what was happening and the Government should do whatever it could “to get these babies home," she said on RTÉ Radio. 

Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne urged any Irish in Ukraine to come home if they could. Exceptional efforts were being made to bring a diplomatic solution to the situation in Ukraine.

The objective was to prevent war from breaking out and keeping the peace, he said.