Justice Minister: Not yet known how many Ukrainian refugees will come to Ireland

File photo. Women care for their sick children at a basement, used as a bomb shelter, at the Okhmadet children's hospital in central Kyiv, Ukraine. Picture: AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti

The Justice Minister said it is unknown how many Ukrainians may come to Ireland as refugees.

Ireland lifted visa requirements for Ukrainians last week, with a total of 143 people arriving in the State since, as of 6pm on Monday.

Updating the Dáil on the visa situation, Helen McEntee said, "That is an emergency measure and we must do more.

“I will meet colleagues again on Thursday and it is likely that we will activate the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive.

“This is designed to provide a coordinated response to a mass influx of displaced persons to standardise the giving of temporary protection across EU member states and to ensure that all member States play their part.

“This measure has not previously been used by the EU but the initial view is this might be the right mechanism to help those leaving Ukraine.

“As I have said, the Government is clear that Ireland will play is part in assisting Ukraine and its people, and has a clear record of helping those in need.” 

It is not possible at this point to be precise about the number of Ukrainian people who will come here under this Directive, but it is likely to be significant, Ms McEntee added.

The numbers fleeing Ukraine are growing daily with now over 650,000 estimated to have fled the country. Significant numbers of displaced persons are locating themselves in neighbouring territories. Over 280,000 had fled to Poland alone by last Saturday.

“We have also worked to help many families expecting babies through surrogacy in Ukraine who found themselves in an unimaginable situation and we will continue to do so,” Ms McEntee said.

Earlier, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that there are four Irish babies in hospitals in Ukraine which could be under Russian rule within weeks so it was important to maintain diplomatic relations with Russia.

Mr Varadkar was responding to a question about expelling the Russian Ambassador to Ireland.

Even in times of war countries maintained ambassadors, he said.

Any moves to expel diplomats from the embassy in Dublin would be more effective if done in conjunction with the remainder of the EU.

He said he understood public frustration with the Ambassador but that any decision on the numbers in the embassy would be made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney.

Mr Varadkar said that Ireland would take “all actions short of military action” to support Ukraine.

Ireland will “make a full contribution to the EU peace facility” pro rata which would go towards flak jackets and fuel rather than lethal weapons.

When asked how paying for fuel for planes was not supporting military actions, he said he did not want to go into detail on “technicalities”.

Mr Varadkar said that while Ireland had military neutrality it was not politically neutral.

Following Russia's attack on Ukraine he said “we have to ask ourselves” about the EU security architecture and that Ireland needed to give “proper consideration and thought” to our future defence plans.

“We need to wake up to the fact that the world is not always a safe place."

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s News at One, Mr Varadkar repeated a warning not to have a “knee jerk response”.

Putin had attacked Ukraine as he viewed the west as “weak” and the Ukraine was now paying the price.

Extending candidate status of the EU to Ukraine would be an appropriate gesture of solidarity, he said.

'Indisputable evidence' of war crimes being perpetrated in Ukraine, says Simon Coveney

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney says there is "indisputable evidence of war crimes" being perpetrated in Ukraine.

Speaking at Dublin Castle after today's Cabinet meeting, Mr Coveney said that the fact that the International Criminal Court has opened a file in relation to the Russian invasion "says a lot".

"We've seen, I think, indisputable evidence now that war crimes are taking place in Ukraine which the brutalizing of a number of, of Ukrainian cities, the deliberate targeting of civilians.

"I think we have no choice but to to show a level of resolve and solidarity within the European Union that is proportionate to what is happening on our doorstep in the heart of Europe. We have a sovereign state a democracy being brutalized and attacked by one of the most powerful military forces on the planet. 

"And we have got to respond to that. And I, you know, I've been in politics for nearly 25 years I've never seen an issue that has galvanized European unity in a way that this has."

Mr Coveney said that up to one million Ukrainians could flee Ukraine into EU countries which would mean on a population basis, Ireland could be asked to take 20,000 refugees. However, he said that no ask has been made and he does not want to put a number on what Ireland might take.

Mr Coveney said that such a number would mean that Irish families could be asked to open their doors to refugees.

“The EU hasn’t put an ask of countries at the moment but you know the figures in my view will be certainly in the thousands.

“If you were to have an estimate of up to a million people crossing into the EU, and if you look at Ireland’s proportion in terms of population, which is often the allocation key when it comes to financial allocations or whatever, that is about 2 per cent.

“So that’s 20,000 people to start with. I don’t think we should be putting actual numbers on because we don’t know. But certainly, I think there was a very clear message in Government today that we will not be found wanting in terms of generosity here. 

“We have already announced a €10m humanitarian package and I expect we will do a lot more than that. We have waived any requirement for visas for Ukrainians to come into Ireland, and they’re going to get effectively a special refugee status when they get here for three years to be able to work and live here effectively as EU citizens. 

“I think in truth, if we’re going to be able to accommodate the numbers that are expected to come here we’re going to have to go beyond providing State-provided accommodation, it will probably have to involve families as well, who are willing to open up their homes to Ukrainian families for a temporary period of time. But this is a war effort. So the norms need to get set aside.” 

Mr Coveney said that any recent precedent needed to be pushed aside and said that the response to the Ukrainian crisis would have to be exceptional.

“The response can’t be a normal response. This is war in the heart of Europe, where thousands of people are being slaughtered and killed, where civilians are being targeted, where we we may well see hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Ukrainians fleeing across the border into the EU, and certainly Ireland will have to ensure that we do what’s required of us in terms of sharing that responsibility in terms of how we look after Ukrainians."

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien said that there was "a job of work" to work out how to house those refugees.

"We do have a job of work to do here to make sure that we as best as possible, are ready to provide any assistance that people are needing in the area of education and housing and health and all of that. It is an awful humanitarian crisis, the war in Ukraine.

"So we will be part of a collective European Union response. We don't have numbers right now, but Ireland will do whatever it can to assist Ukrainian citizens who come here to seek safe harbour in Ireland."

Mr O'Brien said that it was "very early" to say how Ukrainian refugees will be housed, but said that there have been 250 or so who have already arrived. These are being supported by family members for the most part, he added.

74 Irish citizens still in Ukraine

Earlier, Mr Coveney confirmed that there are 74 Irish citizens still in Ukraine as of Tuesday morning, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said.

He said Irish diplomats were currently in “close contact” with them, and are providing them “with up-to-date advice on what they should do”. 

In recent days, Sinn Féin and others have called for the expulsion the Russian ambassador to Ireland Yuri Filatov.

However, Mr Coveney repeated his view that even in a time of conflict, diplomats' communication channels needed to be maintained.

“If for nothing else to ensure we can look after the humanitarian needs of Irish people who find themselves in difficulty if that is in Russia or Ukraine,” he said.

He went on to say a meeting of EU officials was taking place in Brussels on Tuesday morning to discuss the bloc’s collective response to Russia’s presence in Europe’s capitals.

He said while the ultimate decision will be made by the Irish Government, a collective decision at an EU-level would “have more impact".

Mr Coveney told RTÉ News that what was unfolding in Ukraine was “absolutely awful”. 

"We’re likely to see a significant increase in the numbers of people killed, maimed, injured, many of them civilians. It is a very worrying situation.”

Echoing remarks mare by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar last week, Mr Coveney said Ireland “was not neutral” on the conflict in Ukraine.

Mr Coveney added that Ireland had committed €10m to the €500m European-Union package to support the Ukrainian military.

“We will focus on non-lethal weapons, but that doesn’t mean that that contribution isn’t significant and ensuring that Ireland plays our part fully."