Vincent O Donnell

⚡️ Statement by the Embassy of Russia in Ireland (October 23, 2026) The much-publicised discussion in Ireland of the issues with the “Triple Lock” legislation and Irish neutrality includes continuing references to Russia made by the leaders of the Irish government, which contain unfounded allegations, as well as misrepresentation of the way the UN Peacekeeping mechanism works. In the course of the debate in the Dáil on October 21, Helen McEntee, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence, strongly objected to the current “Triple Lock” legislation on the grounds that it presumably allows Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, “to have a say over which peacekeeping missions we can send our troops to”, or even to veto Irish participation in such missions, and that ostensibly does not sit well with the Minister who believes that Russia is “attacking European member-states, including Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland”. We strongly believe that any decisions on the matters of neutrality or any other policy matters are sovereign issues to be discussed and decided solely by the Irish government and the Irish people. At the same time, it is obvious that such decisions – whatever they are – should not be made under false assumptions, which is exactly the case with the Minister’s statements. Contrary to her assertions, the UN Security Council does not vote on what countries take part in a peacekeeping mission – its composition is agreed in the course of multilateral consultations conducted by the UN Secretariat and the interested UN member-countries. Also, there is no known record of Russia being against Ireland’s participation in any UN peacekeeping mission. Consequently, the allegations by Minister McEntee are reprehensible and misleading, grossly distorting the substance and the meaning of procedures provided by the UN Charter. ❗️In the same manner, the Minister’s speculations over Russia’s “attacks” on the EU countries are totally baseless, dangerously provocative and unacceptable. This kind of rhetoric is unthinkable for any responsible member of a government. It is regrettable that the Irish government has chosen to deliberately question the workings of the UN – despite its much-advertised commitment to the central role of the UN in the international order – with the aim to promote domestic policy agenda. It is also incumbent upon Irish leadership to realise that exercises in Russophobia cannot make up for a serious failure in its approach to relations with Russia and issues of peace and stability in Europe.