Leo Varadkar: Vladimir Putin is 'Hitler of the 21st Century'

President Vladimir Putin. File Picutre: Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has branded Vladimir Putin the “Hitler of the 21st century”.

In an interview on RTÉ Radio One, Mr Varadkar said what was currently happening Ukraine was "an atrocity."

"It resembles to me, what happened to Czecho-Slovakia in 1939. A democratic country in the European Union is being invaded and an attempt is being made to overthrow a democratic government.” 

“I don’t know the last time this happened in Europe but the last time I can think of it happening in Europe is in the 1930s,” he said, adding that the latest conflict should be seen in that context.

“We knew that Putin was a bad man, we’ve known that for a long time now, but we didn’t think that he would be the Hitler of the 21st century and I think he is putting himself into that space.”

Sanctions on Putin, Lavrov will have 'long lasting effect' - Coveney

Meanwhile, the EU's Foreign affairs Council has agreed to add both Russian President Vladimir Putin and his own Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, to the list of Russians who will have their assets frozen in the EU. 

Speaking after the emergency meeting, Minister Simon Coveney said the sanctions agreed will have a "long-lasting effect on the Russian economy including on the oligarchs and individuals who have supported the invasion of Ukraine".

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos

"On behalf of Ireland I made the case for the inclusion of SWIFT in a further package of sanctions expected to be agreed in the coming days.

"We discussed the humanitarian consequences of Russia’s aggressive attack and encouraged support for a humanitarian response from the EU. Ireland has already allocated €10m for humanitarian action."

He said that on his instruction, the Secretary-General of the Department of Foreign Affairs had summoned the Russian Ambassador to "make clear the government’s strong condemnation of the invasion and Russia’s gross violation of international law and the UN charter".

However, Mr Coveney said EU foreign ministers had decided as a bloc not to expel Russian ambassadors.

"This and other possible diplomatic measures remain on the table," he added.