Russia has said that the idea of European troops being deployed to Ukraine in any capacity is “unacceptable,” following comments by Taoiseach Micheál Martin that Ireland is open to participating in a peacekeeping mission.
Speaking to reporters in Moscow today in response to EU proposals, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said her country has no plans to discuss any foreign military deployment in Ukraine in any form. She described the proposal as “absolutely unacceptable.”
“Russia is not going to discuss a foreign intervention in Ukraine in any form or format,” Zakharova said.
“That is fundamentally unacceptable and undermines any security. They are not guarantees of Ukraine’s security, they are guarantees of danger to the European continent.”
Her remarks came in response to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said in an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday that Europe was drawing up “pretty precise plans” for a multinational troop deployment to Ukraine as part of post-conflict security guarantees. Germany has also rejected the proposal.
Leaders from a “coalition of the willing” spearheaded by France and Britain are expected to meet later today to discuss contributions to the plan. NATO chief Mark Rutte said Russia did not have a veto over such measures.
“Why are we interested in what Russia thinks about troops in Ukraine?” Rutte said.
“It’s a sovereign country. It’s not for them to decide.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed that his country will continue its campaign in Ukraine if no peace deal is reached.
The development follows a phone call earlier this week between Micheál Martin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Martin said Ireland is “open” to participating in a peacekeeping mission if one is appropriately mandated under the UN Charter.
Martin told Zelensky that Ireland stood ready to support Ukraine with “the provision of non-lethal military assistance” as well as peacekeeping duties. He also offered condolences after recent Russian strikes on Kiev killed 23 people, including four children, and damaged the EU Delegation building.
“The deliberate targeting of civilians, as we have seen in Kiev, is a war crime,” Martin said.
Ireland’s Defence Forces have a long history of overseas missions, with thousands of Irish troops serving in areas such as southern Lebanon since 1978 as part of the UN’s UNIFIL operation. That mission is due to conclude in 2027, raising questions about future deployments – particularly given that the Lebanon mission had been a major selling point for Irish Defence Forces recruitment.
Presently, Ireland is subject to the Triple Lock, meaning Irish troops cannot be deployed for overseas peacekeeping missions in any significant numbers without the approval of the UN Security Council, which includes Russia. The rationale behind this policy is to prevent Irish troops from being sent to conflict zones where major world powers have geopolitical interests, to ensure that Irish neutrality is not infringed.
However, critics of the Triple Lock argue that it causes Ireland’s military to be constrained by States like China and Russia, which can block peacekeeping troops from being deployed to conflict zones such as Ukraine – a fact which they argue is an infringement on Irish sovereignty. For this reason, the Government has proposed abolishing the Triple Lock to allow such overseas deployments without UN Security Council approval.
Higher Education Minister James Lawless recently lamented the fact that under the Triple Lock, it would not be possible to deploy Irish peacekeepers to regions such as Gaza if the country so desired.