Taoiseach to attend meeting of EU leaders in Brussels

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, Press Association

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he will highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and argue in favour of using frozen Russian assets to benefit Ukraine at a meeting of EU leaders.

The European Council is to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the Middle East, as well as EU enlargement, security and defence and combatting antisemitism.

The EU’s next multi-annual budget (2028-2034), competitiveness and migration are also expected to be discussed.

Mr Martin will attend the meeting in Brussels after defending his handling of his party’s disastrous presidential election campaign, where their candidate withdrew from campaigning just under three weeks from polling day over a 16-year-old tenancy dispute.

I fully support plans to use frozen Russian state assets to support Ukraine, and I hope it will be possible for the meeting to reach agreement on that

After engaging in two major interviews on airwaves to discuss an internal party report into the issue, Mr Martin attended an official dinner at the annual EU-Western Balkans Summit on Wednesday evening.

Ahead of the meeting with EU leaders, Mr Martin said he looked forward to hearing from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met Mr Martin in Dublin earlier in December.

“I fully support plans to use frozen Russian state assets to support Ukraine, and I hope it will be possible for the meeting to reach agreement on that,” he said.

“I will also be arguing strongly in favour of accelerating Ukraine’s EU application.

“Membership of the EU for Ukraine is also important for its future security.

“Our meeting is an opportunity to send a clear message that EU enlargement will happen, and that the reform efforts by countries aspiring to join our union will be matched by our ambition to advance their path towards EU membership.

“There are malign actors, including Russia, who are seeking to destabilise the EU and our neighbours, attacking our shared values and posing a real threat to our security.

Referencing sightings of drones near Dublin as Mr Zelensky arrived in Ireland, Mr Martin added: “As recent events have shown, Ireland is not immune to these threats and we must continue to work with our EU partners to combat them.”

Mr Martin also said he would highlight the “critical” humanitarian crisis facing people in Gaza.

“Two months into the ceasefire, aid has still not reached the levels required and as agreed in the peace plan,” he said.

“I will be stressing the need for the EU to do all it can to get this much-needed assistance to the people of Gaza, especially as winter closes in, and to contribute to the next phase of the peace plan, which supports a two-state solution.”

Addressing Sunday’s Bondi Beach attack, he also said he welcomed that the European Council will look to “intensify efforts to rid our societies of the scourge of antisemitism”.

“We were all deeply shocked and appalled by the terrorist attack on the Jewish community in Sydney,” he said.

“There can be no place for antisemitism and hatred in our societies.”

He said he would argue that the EU should be open to trade and invest in innovation, and said Ireland wanted a “ringfenced and fully funded” CAP and Common Fisheries Policy.