International Developments: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-06 ============================================================ Neale Richmond (FG), Dublin Rathdown I greatly appreciate the opportunity to provide members with an update on recent international developments. This is perhaps the vaguest description of a debate in the Seanad, certainly in my ten years in the Oireachtas, but it is perhaps also the most pertinent because not a morning passes when we do not look at our mobile phones in dread and fear of what has happened or been posted on social media. As a result, we are all aware that we continue to face an unprecedented and unpredictable geopolitical context. The year 2026 has been a particularly challenging period for international relations, nowhere more so than in the Middle East. In January, we saw the violent suppression of protests in Iran with thousands of Iranians killed by their own government. This was quickly followed by the US and Israeli attack on Iran, and retaliatory attacks by Iran, which rapidly engulfed much of the region in conflict and uncertainty. This escalated to include the reopening of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and the involvement of Iran-allied militias in Iraq and Yemen. At least 15 countries suffered attacks, with widespread targeting of civilian infrastructure. Many lives have been lost, and many more in the region and around the world have been impacted directly and indirectly by this conflict. Throughout it, Ireland has clearly stated the importance of international law, and that all parties in any conflict must abide by international humanitarian law. Last year was the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers around the world. We have welcomed the ceasefires between the US and Iran, and between Israel and Lebanon, even if they are perhaps not the most consistent of ceasefires. We urge all parties, where best possible, to preserve these ceasefires. Ireland has condemned the recent missile and drone attacks by Iran on the United Arab Emirates. We call for serious diplomatic efforts to continue and intensify with the aim of achieving lasting peace and wider regional security. Freedom of navigation must be resumed, and international law must be upheld. The ongoing disruption of the Strait of Hormuz is causing economic damage and disruption around the world. We have seen the impacts here in Ireland, and we are also seeing the serious impacts on those least able to afford it around the world. At this point, finding an agreement to allow the free passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will be key to enabling further negotiations and to unlock flows of energy and other critical goods that would normally flow through the strait. Ireland shares the real and widespread concerns about Iran's nuclear programme and other destabilising policies. Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and must end its support for Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine and to militant groups around the region. In Lebanon, I am deeply concerned by the continued targeting of civilians, including healthcare workers, rescue workers and journalists. The displacement of communities and the establishment of a depopulated buffer zone in Lebanon by Israel is not and never will be acceptable. We are also very conscious of our troops in UNIFIL, both their own safety and their ability to help protect the Lebanese people. We are also very concerned for the families and loved ones of our troops, many of whom waved off the people they care about the most in the last week or two in the service of our State. Ireland has condemned Hezbollah's attacks on Israel and Israel's disproportionate response. Both must stop. Notwithstanding dramatic developments in the wider region, Palestine must not be overlooked. The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, with Israeli restrictions on aid access continuing to frustrate the delivery of essential supplies and services to people across the Gaza Strip. The rate of settlement expansion in the West Bank, combined with spiralling settler violence, is also deeply concerning and part of an established pattern to create a new status quo in the occupied Palestinian territory. Ireland will continue to press the EU to take concrete action in response to such egregious Israeli breaches of human rights and democratic principles. While the crisis in the Middle East and the Gulf draws global attention, we cannot lose focus on Ukraine. As Russia's unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine continues unabated, Ireland and the EU remain unequivocal in our solidarity and support for Ukraine. Failing on the battlefield, Russia chooses to deliberately target Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure. In April alone, Russia launched at least 6,804 long-range drones and missiles into Ukraine, marking the most intense month of long-range aerial attacks to date. These attacks continue to inflict terror on ordinary Ukrainians, killing men, women and children, injuring many more and depriving millions of electricity, heating, and water. Alongside our fellow EU member states, we must continue to stand with Ukraine. Standing with Ukraine means more than words. It means ensuring Ukraine has what it needs to exercise its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. It means ensuring it has the means to sustain its budget and public services, and can repair and protect its critical infrastructure. It also means increasing the pressure on Russia to end its brutal aggression. This is exactly what Ireland and our partners in the European Union are doing. Ireland welcomes that efforts to advance the €90 billion Ukraine support loan can now continue. We welcome in particular the change of regime in Hungary that allowed it. It is notable that not one member of Sinn Féin, the one political party that opposed this measure, is in this Chamber. That says a lot. This gives Ukraine the finance it needs over the coming two years. It does so at large scale, in good time and in a predictable manner. We are also increasing pressure on Russia. I welcome the recent agreement on the EU's 20th package of sanctions on Russia. These sanctions are having an impact. They are making it harder for Russia to fund its war and access battlefield goods. These sanctions are designed to force Putin to move to the negotiating table. We must maintain this pressure until he does. We must also work to ensure Russia is held accountable for its actions and pays for the destruction it has caused. Importantly, today, in the other Chamber of this House, we are debating Ireland's support in establishing an international claims commission. This is an important step towards redressing internationally wrongful acts committed by Russia in or against Ukraine and one I hope we endorse. We will continue to work to advance Ukraine's path to EU accession. Alongside our EU partners, Ireland continues to provide extensive political, humanitarian, military, and economic bilateral support to Ukraine. This has included over €500 million in support of Ukraine, including over €250 million in humanitarian assistance and stabilisation supports to date. We will continue to work closely with Ukraine to secure the best outcome for the people of Ukraine and, critically, the people of Europe and Ireland. This is not just vital for Ukraine - it is vital for all EU member states. I push back strongly against the social media warriors who think it can all be solved with one comment, social media post or snappy headline to the effect that we paid our fair share. The people of Ukraine are fighting on our behalf. No one should underestimate that the material impact of Russia's vicious war on Ukraine is felt by every household and business across this country. Increasing support for Ukraine by €40 million in recent weeks resulted in an unprecedented amount of ire on social media and got tangled up in tricky domestic affairs. One thing we must make clear is that this is exactly what Russia and its disinformation and misinformation puppets around the world want. When Bloomberg cites Chay Bowes as one of the leading exponents of Russian propaganda and disinformation in the world, that comes right back to here in Ireland. We need to be able call out and to shout out when we start seeing Ireland's support for Ukraine being pulled into our own domestic situation. This is not a natural or organic occurrence; it is from the same far-right agitators, many of whom are not based here - Steve Bannon, Tommy Robinson and all the regular clickbait merchants who want to completely destabilise what has been a united effort. Ireland has not played its part. I am not happy to say it because we should be doing more to support Ukraine as it is in our selfish interests, and we need to be able to push back. The issues we face in Ireland are directly linked to Russia's war in Ukraine. If we remove supports from Ukraine, the Ukrainian people and from the European project, the impacts we are feeling will merely get far worse for far too many people. In the time remaining to me, there is a plethora of issues I could and should refer to. I will leave it to my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, to touch on some of them. However, in a brief whistle-stop tour around the globe there are a couple of areas that deserve the attention of this House, and I believe they have been brought up a number of times by various Senators. They include the ongoing famine in Sudan. It is having a real impact and not just on the millions of people suffering displacement, acute hunger and who are victims of the most vicious types of war crimes where rape is still used as a weapon of war. We equally see push-back on a global stage with people seeking to undermine the multilateral order, the UN system, as well as push-back on the rights agenda. We cannot allow the most innocent victims of the world become the victims of someone else's culture war. That is why those of us lucky enough to be elected to national office have a responsibility and platform to not just talk about the issues we want to talk about but to talk about all the issues and the global order as a whole. If we believe in international law, humanitarian work and fundamental rights we believe in the money that goes to support it. Development, which is the key area of my work, is an investment. Investment in our overseas development assistance is an investment at source in the issues that impact all of the people who live in our constituencies. Energy insecurity, food insecurity, political fundamentalism, global terrorism and irregular mass migration all stem from global instability. If anyone comes in here and says we should cut our aid budget, or anyone in any member state says it, then they had better be prepared to quadruple their defence and security budget. I am delighted that the Seanad has taken time to debate this wide range of issues and I thank Senators who consistently raise it on the Order of Business and through their Commencement matters. We continue to be happy to engage in this House, in the joint committees on foreign affairs, security and European affairs, and on the floor of the Dáil. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-06/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:54+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-06