The Russian ambassador to Ireland is not in a position to “lecture” the Government over its stance on the Ukraine war, the Taoiseach has said.
Micheál Martin was responding after the Russian embassy in Ireland and ambassador Yuriy Filatov accused the State of engaging in anti-Russian propaganda.
The embassy claimed Dublin was “copy-pasting EU conspiracy theories” after Filatov was summoned to the Department of Foreign Affairs in connection with a recent drone attack in Germany.
The German government claims Russia was responsible for the incident, in which a drone carrying an explosive was discovered near Ukrainian cargo planes at Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 4th. The bomb failed to explode.
Filatov told Newstalk’s Claire Byrne Show he rejected “allegations of any Russian connection to this incident”. He said the German investigations into the matter “have very low credibility not only with us but generally speaking in Europe”.
Speaking during a visit to Kinsale Community School in Co Cork on Friday, Martin said his Government has maintained a consistent stance in relation to the war in Ukraine and that Filatov was “not in a position really to lecture anybody”.
“So many hundreds of thousands of young men and women have lost their lives on both sides. It is quite shocking the scale of this war and Russia bears responsibility for that,” the Taoiseach said.
“We will work with our partners in the European Union to defend Ukraine and support Ukraine. We stand ready to support any peace process or any ceasefire.”
Martin said Ireland has always adhered to the multilateral rules-based order.
“We believe in the Charter of the United Nations. We believe that no country should violently tackle another country – seek to undermine the territorial integrity of that country or the sovereignty of that country.”
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He said the most important contribution Russia “could make now is to stop the war in Ukraine and to declare a ceasefire, facilitate negotiations and stop the unbelievable carnage that is occurring as a result primarily of Russian aggression”.
Earlier this week, EU foreign ministers held a summit at the Druids Glen resort in Co Wicklow as part of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. They reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to continuing to provide Ukraine with “political, financial and military support” in its war with Russia.
“We stand in solidarity with Germany following the alarming incidents at Leipzig airport, but also with many member states affected by Russia’s attacks, including Estonia only earlier this week. This is very clearly not just about the security of Ukraine, but of Europe as a whole,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said on Wednesday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has been asked for comment on the statement from the Russian embassy.
It is not the first time Filatov has clashed with the Government since his appointment in 2017. After a Russian diplomat in Ireland was expelled following a high-profile assassination attempt in Salisbury, England, he described the move as “totally unwarranted, uncalled for, senseless and regrettable”.
When 52 Irish politicians were placed on a list banning them from entering Russia over their support for Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022, Filatov accused the then government of engaging in “an aggressive anti-Russian propaganda campaign”.
In 2024, he said Ireland’s role in the EU’s freezing of Russian funds to support Ukraine was “criminal behaviour”.
“The Irish Government has signed up for this unprecedented and illegal decision, which has nothing to do with the norms of international law and so-called ‘rules based order’, hailed by Ireland.”