MEP for Dublin Clare Daly has accused the EU of "accelerating" the Ukraine conflict with Russia.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine started last week and it is estimated that almost 10,000 people have died as a result.
The Independents 4 Change MEP told RTE that it was a "distortion" to say the war started because Russian President Putin is a "crazed maniac".
She said: “The point that we're making is that this narrative that somehow the war is happening because we're dealing with some crazed maniac in the form of Putin is a distortion of the reality that one of the contributing factors to this situation has been the constant destabilisation of that region by Nato.”
The Dublin politician said the Irish people's call for arms to be sent to Ukraine is "well intentioned".
She said: "I think the calls of the Irish people for arms, and for military might to be sent into Ukraine, are very well intentioned, that people think when making that call they are helping.
“They see an uneven fight. And it is an uneven fight. But the measures that the EU took to hurl extra military hardware into Ukraine is not even going to up that fight."
The MEP condemned the invasion of Ukraine but defended her voting record in Brussels which included voting against increasing arms being sent to the war-torn country.
She said: "So while forthrightly condemning the Russian illegal invasion of Ukraine and the voting record shows that we voted for those parts of the resolution, what we opposed was the increasing of arms into Ukraine, the acceleration of Nato involvement, and the acceleration of militarism and military expenditure inside the EU.
"What I regret is that the European Union, who should be promoting peace, are actually accelerating that conflict.”
MEP Daly also called for "serious" peace talks and for the EU to recognise Russia has "genuine" security concerns int he region.
She said: “It’s for the European Union to sit down at the table and say ‘enough bloodshed’ there needs to be serious peace talks and part that is a recognition that Russia does have genuine security concerns in that region and unless we go to that place unfortunately the Ukranians are going to be the losers in it.”
When asked if the Ukrainian Government should surrender she said: “Effectively that’s what Nato and the US have left them with because they are very clear that they are not going to come in. They are not going to put boots on the ground, they are not going to put that type of aramary necessary to defeat the Russian Army on the ground.
“You (the presenter) call it surrender but what you’re actually advocating is that they continue fighting against an enemy which they cannot win.”
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