Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said the concerns are very real over Vladimir Putin’s threat of using nuclear weapons.
Minister Coveney said the Irish Government has very clear advice that no one should travel to Ukraine “whether they want to fight or deliver aid.”
He described Russian troops firing at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant as “reckless.”
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He said: “The nuclear concerns are real.
“There are two different nuclear plants that have been a cause of concern..[Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia.]
“Turning off the power to that facility does raise concerns around safety in terms of the management of nuclear waste and maintaining temperatures and so on.
“The much larger plant [Zaporizhzhia] that has six reactors.”
Minister Coveney said the fact that Russian troops have fired at one of the plants is “very worrying and serious.”
Minister Coveney also told the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee that following the Irish Government’s assessment, there is an “increased cyber threat” and said the Government is “taking every appropriate precaution” necessary.
When asked about Ireland’s neutrality, Minister Coveney said his view as to what Irish neutrality is, that “we decide when we get involved in conflict or not.”
He said: “We decide when we take sides or when we don’t.
“Let me be very clear in relation to what is happening in Ukraine, we are not neutral.
“In fact we are actively funding and supplying equipment to the Ukrainian military to help them defend themselves and the civilians of their country.”
He said it is not unusual for the Ireland ambassador to Russia, Brian McElduff, to be reprimanded by officials in Russia “when there is tension.”
He said it was expected after the incident at the Russian embassy in Ireland where damage was caused to the gate of its embassy.
Minister Coveney said the Russian ambassador here, Yury Filatov, has been called into his own Department on multiple occasions lately over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
He said it has been made quite clear to him what Ireland’s views are on what Vladimir Putin is doing.
Minister Coveney said it is not yet known what Russia may do now that Ireland joins all other EU countries on a “list of unfriendly” countries.
He said: “We don’t quite know what that’s going to mean.
“It normally means that there are decisions made following up..targeted sanctions or the removal of diplomats.
“Let’s wait and see what happens there, we don’t know yet.”
He said the travel advice is clear and that unless someone is part of an international organisation that has official plans to travel to Ukraine, then no Irish citizen should travel whether they want to fight or deliver aid.
Minister Coveney said it’s his understanding that around 500 Ukrainian refugees are to arrive into the country on Thursday.
He refuted Mr Filatov’s claims on Russian State television that Ireland was anti-Russian.
Minister Coveney said: “It is important to deliver the message that Russian people living in Ireland shouldn’t be targeted and Russian people in Ireland are welcome.”
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