Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said that if Russia and Ukraine go to war, there could be “hundreds of thousands” of civilians displaced, and that Ireland would be willing to take in refugees from the conflict.
The remarks were made in the Dáil yesterday, after Independent TD Cathal Berry asked the Tánaiste what preparations the government had made for a potential conflict, particularly regarding refugees.
“We absolutely acknowledge that were there to be a conflict as well as loss of human life, there would likely be significant refugee flows into Romania and into Poland in particular,” Varadkar replied.
“In that scenario, we would anticipate that the EU solidarity clause would be triggered and we would be required…to take a number of refugees from Ukraine, which we would be willing to do.”
If this clause was triggered, Ireland would be obliged under EU law to take in a number of such refugees.
Varadkar added that a military conflict in Eastern Europe would result in “tens of thousands of deaths and probably hundreds of thousands of people being displaced internally or fleeing to Romania and Poland.”
The Tánaiste also said that while Ireland doesn’t get much gas from Russia or Ukraine, “it would still have a knock-on effect [on our gas supply].”
“Then of course, there’s the possibility of cyberattacks and disruption of the European Union should a conflict emerge,” he added.