Coveney: Ireland 'uncomfortable' with spending money to send arms to Ukraine

Ireland will instead spend €9m on 'non-lethal support'

Ukrainian soldiers inspect a damaged military vehicle after fighting in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Picture: AP/Marienko Andrew

Ireland is "uncomfortable" spending money to buy arms to support Ukrainian forces but will still pay €9m to fund non-lethal support, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said.

Mr Coveney said the European Union's €500m package to support Ukrainian military efforts was the right thing to do, but said Ireland's contribution would go to "defensive purchases" like helmets and logistical items such as fuel.

He said EU countries that are militarily neutral were entitled to abstain from purchasing weapons and Ireland had chosen this. However, he said Ireland would pay its full share of the fund, about €9m.

He said Russian aggression posed a major issue for the EU, with tens of thousands of refugees crossing the Ukrainian borders in recent days. 

Up to 18m Ukrainians could require assistance by the end of the Russian invasion, he estimated.

"If the EU can't take a stand when our neighbour is being pounded by one of the strongest armies in the world, then we have to question the moral standing of the EU," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

Russian ambassador to Ireland Yury Filatov. File picture

Mr Coveney said he understood the demands to expel the Russian ambassador Yuriy Filatov, but said that such a move at this time would not be wise.

He said there were hundreds of Irish people in Russia who would require consular assistance and breaking off diplomatic relations would harm them.

"Does this mean we're not considering expelling Russian diplomats or operatives? No, it does not."