In view of yesterday’s historic visit to Dáil and Seanad Éireann by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, we must continue show solidarity with the Ukrainian people as they endure the ongoing brutality from Putin’s Russian regime. In recent weeks, we have seen a drone attack on a kindergarten in Kharkiv, the deliberate murder of two unarmed Ukrainian civilians and their dog as they were holding a white flag and the targeting of a UN convoy delivering aid in Kherson. These horrific crimes must be investigated and the perpetrators punished.

I welcome the Government’s support for the Council of Europe-backed Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine. Can the Taoiseach update the House on progress made by the special tribunal since its establishment in May and on what long-term support Ireland will provide to the special tribunal?

Ireland has been a strong supporter of the establishment of the tribunal and will provide financial supports, as we have generally in the area of international jurisprudence and, indeed, the various international courts, such as the International Criminal Court, ICC, the International Court of Justice, ICJ, or any of them have been very strong supporters of those. I share with the Deputy the condemnation of these appalling attacks. In my discussions with President Zelenskyy yesterday, I was very clear on the enormous toll on young people in this war. Thousands and thousands of Ukrainians and, indeed, thousands and thousands of Russians have been dying on the battlefield. There is no need for it. It is an appalling denial of humanity and the importance of life itself. I am shocked at how any leader and how President Putin can preside over such an appalling loss of life at a scale that is unimaginable to any human being.