Verona Murphy welcomes President Zelensky to Leinster House

Your Excellency, President Zelensky, T-shirt Tániste, Members of Dáil and Sánad Éireann, Ambassador Jarascoe, Distinguished Guests and Friends of Ukraine. Aghúbderán Zelensky, tá fáilte báróaibh i deocláin, unad farlamint ná'r siúnta na hérin. Ís mór an maas atá aghúin ar tféin agus ar vhúintr na chúch ráin agus ar an tásevacht agus ar an díng báltacht atá léirach aghúibh. Hán búirth híir a chasint ar an anróháir. President Zelensky, you are most welcome to Leinster House, our National Parliament. I would like to also welcome the First Lady. Mrs Zelensky is a woman who has become a symbol of Ukrainian dignity and resilience. And you are a model for women worldwide. We gather in solidarity and admiration for you and your people. War is a human tragedy. It destroys lives. It uproots families and leaves scars that endure for generations. War is never a solution. And Ireland knows this truth. Our own history teaches us that dialogue, however difficult, can bring peace. The Good Friday Agreement was born from decades of pain and division. Yet it proved that even the deepest wounds can heal when people choose negotiation over violence. And that lesson gives us hope for Ukraine. Today, we meet in a solemn acknowledgement of the ongoing war against your country. An illegal attack on a sovereign nation. An assault on international law. A violation of human dignity. Every missile and bullet has shattered lives. Parents mourn children lost. Families endure displacement and uncertainty. Futures have been stolen. And no words can capture the suffering of your people. We watch in horror as drone attacks escalate. As your country's infrastructure is ravaged. At acts that defy all principles of humanity. The global community must stand united in condemning this war. We must continue to provide refuge. We must provide humanitarian aid. But most of all, we must demand accountability for war crimes. As a militarily neutral country, Ireland is not, and never will be, morally neutral in the face of atrocity. Our neutrality is a commitment to peace, not indifference. Together with our EU partners, Ireland will stand firm behind Ukraine to ensure Russia ends its aggression. The Irish, who themselves have lived through the trauma of immigration and war, have opened their hearts and their homes to the thousands of Ukrainians who now live and work among us. Your people enrich our communities and share their culture, even though their hearts are still with Ukraine. Ireland's journey to peace was long and arduous. But it succeeded because people preserved in the belief that peace is the only solution. The same possibility exists for Ukraine. World leaders would do well to reflect on the powerful words of John F. Kennedy, an American president born of Irish emigrants, a man whose family left the very shores of New Ross, my home constituency in Wexford. As he declared with unwavering conviction in his inaugural address, Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty. President Zelenskyy, we hope and look forward to the day that Ukraine can celebrate peace. We stand with the Ukrainian people in solidarity, in friendship and in hope. May your courage and the strength of your people lead to a just and lasting peace. Thank you. I now invite you to your hand.