[Simon Coveney] This week I wrote to my counterpart, the Minister of Defence of Russia, to request a reconsideration of naval exercises off the Irish coast. This evening I received a letter confirming the Russian exercises will be relocated outside of Ireland’s EEZ. I welcome this response.

42 comments

1. Really didn’t think the Russians would give a shit about our protests.

   Fair play to the fishermen and the Department. They’ve made me look like a right mug.

2. Russia, a great bunch of lads.

3. Proof that Joe Duffy can sort anything out.

4. We’re good at this diplomacy stuff

5. And so ends the Great Ireland-Russia War of 2022.

6. Afraid of our Fishing Armada!

7. Ah that’s grand so

8. How many other countries would they have done this for?

   ​

   I think we should be leading the EU.

9. Good man 👍👍

10. A truck of Donegal Catch frozen fish fingers is on the way to the Kremlin and a few bottles of stout too. We’re all friends again

11. That’s what happens when you fuck with the Cov

12. That’s some good politicing right there

13. Ugh, I guess we’ll have to keep Cork now

    Well done guys 🙄

14. Where’s the lads who were insisting this was an invasion now?

15. Be interesting to know how much impact the fishermen had on this. They were in no way going to be any threat, or be in any danger, but if the Russians *had* carried out their exercise, then all of the commentary and footage would have been instead on the fishermen quietly continuing to fish on their grounds undeterred. Would have been pretty crap optics for something which was supposed to be a Russian statement.

    We will probably never know.

16. Several neutral countries have been pushed closer to NATO by recent Russian actions (the Swedes and Finns are very close), and even Ireland is having a small bit of a debate. It’s all been very badly misjudged by the Kremlin I think.

17. Big win for Coveney and Government

18. Coveney taking credit for this will be what sets the fishermen off for real.

    The Russian thing was just a pretext

19. Oh no! What will r/Ireland have to complain about now?

20. Leaked script of the letter

    “Well lads, how’s things.

    Come here, that exercise yer going next Thursday, can it be held somewhere else? You know yourself.

    Anyway, chat ye later

    X”

21. Bottle of champers opening tonight for sure !

22. Who would win:

    The Russian armed forces

    Or a few cork fisher bois

23. Well done! Shows what soft power and diplomacy can do!

    Either that or our fishermen are just that good.

24. Watch them move further away but still over those underwater cables.

25. Like this is a thing- Russia- does stuff in ocean. Ireland- oh, don’t! Russia twirls villains’ moustache. Haha, me dearie, very well (piano roll) I won’t (Ireland curtsies).

26. Great, now maybe he can ask those other lads to stop landing at Shannon?

27. A great bunch of lads

28. nice of them to oblige tbh

29. Oh you welcome it? Like the very fucking thing you were fucking looking for. Any excuse these guys get to use political language like this meaningless drivel.

30. Well done. Some level-headedness actually works.

31. They have plenty of places in the Atlantic to park over the underwater cables anyway

32. To all those looking for us to increase taxes by getting fighter here etc, stick them up your arse. The Irish fisherman and better than any aircraft carrier

33. Our sphere of influence has grown from this mighty victory

34. Saccrifice Simon.

35. Just imagining the poor Ukrainian defence minister being interrogated by president Zelinsky now.

    “Well, did you write to them and ask them politely not to invade us?”

    “No, why would I do that?”

    * throws printout of Coveney’s tweet onto the table *

36. We’d send Nidge and the boys down to sort them out

37. Ireland to Russia: “ah jaysus Putin yah can’t be at that now!”

38. Coveney sticking it to Putin – fair play to him. Get him a job on the Skibbereen Eagle https://www.irishtimes.com/news/keeping-an-eye-on-russia-1.189970

39. This man is not a liar

40. What’s the point of them going here exactly to test? Surely it’d make sense to go up north of Russia where there would be much less shipping traffic?

41. The Russians. A great bunch of lads.

42. So hes taking claim for this? Theres no way its because of him rofl