I wish the Taoiseach and everyone a happy new year. As we begin this new Dáil term, we are at a moment of genuine international crisis. The world is in turmoil. Violent authoritarian regimes are increasingly threatening peaceful democracy worldwide. Russia continues to rain terror upon the people of Ukraine, while we see courageous pro-democracy protestors being massacred by the highly repressive regime in Iran. At this time, it is sad to see this trend towards authoritarianism and warmongering also happening in a country that, for decades, has been an ally for Europe. We have seen Trump's Administration in Washington, even just in recent weeks, becoming increasingly erratic, volatile and dangerous. Over recent weeks, he has committed an outrageous and flagrant breach of international law through intervening by military force in Venezuela. There is no doubt that Maduro was a brutal leader without democratic legitimacy - we in the Labour Party condemn him - but Trump's move was blatantly illegal and it has had no effect in improving the lives of Venezuelan people as a result.

Trump is not stopping there. We are hearing new threats issued daily from him, to Mexico and Colombia and, unbelievably, he is now even threatening potential military takeover in Europe, with the dire warning that he will take Greenland, by force or otherwise. No one can say we were not warned. Last year, Trump renamed the US Department of Defense the Department of War. He has sanctioned the International Criminal Court and at home in the US, he has taken extraordinary unilateral actions, without recourse to Congress and purely through executive order.

When authoritarian rulers tell us what they plan to do, we must listen and act. If Trump is prepared to menace his own NATO ally, Denmark, over Greenland, then we do not know where his line will be. We are facing a stark reality now. We can only call it imperialist warmongering by the US. Ireland and the EU must take an unambiguous stance in defence of the UN Charter and the principle of national sovereignty. They are not abstract ideals; they are the foundations of international order. We, as a small country in particular, depend on those foundations for our security and prosperity and our voice in the world. We must stand up for the people of Greenland just as we stand with the people of Ukraine and Gaza. We must protect the soul of this country because there is a risk of political contagion. We heard Steve Bannon openly boasting of engineering a so-called Irish national party, developing an Irish Trump, which is a really scary prospect. When people like Bannon and Trump tell us what they plan to do, we need to listen and act. We need to assert ourselves to tell world leaders in an increasingly despotic landscape who we are too, and they need to listen. This July, Ireland will host the EU Presidency. The Government faces a showdown between Boston and Berlin.

Thank you, Deputy.

It is not easy; we know that. How will it navigate the growing pressure between the EU and the increasingly despotic US?

I thank Deputy Bacik for raising a very important issue and for wishing me a happy new year. I reciprocate and wish her a very happy new year also.

The showdown at the moment has been Russia versus Europe. That is the real showdown of substance. I do not like using the word “showdown” – it is conflict. It is an illegal invasion of Ukraine, which has been going on for four years, an appalling attack on the infrastructure of Ukraine, incredible loss of life, deliberate killing of innocent civilians and endeavouring to render Ukraine non-viable into the future in terms of the attack on the energy infrastructure. The losses of life on the battlefield are beyond comprehension - both Russians and Ukrainian men and women at young ages. It calls for an immediate cessation. That is the real conflict going on in Europe right now.

I know the Deputy does not mean this but I am struck in this House that we always end up with the US as the big baddie. We have spent precious little time on Iran in this House for quite a number of years. It has always struck me that Iran has been invisible in any discussions on the Middle East if you go through all the debates in this House, bar the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, raising it on a previous occasion on the Order of Business, I think, in the previous Dáil. It is interesting. That has been the prism through which many people look at the world. That is notwithstanding some of the legitimate criticisms Deputy Bacik made, which I acknowledge. We need a sense of perspective here.

Iran has been, fundamentally, a malign influence in the Middle East through Hezbollah, Hamas and its behaviour in Syria in support of the Assad regime. We stand with the people of Iran in terms of their right to freedom of assembly, freedom of speech and freedom to associate and the need for a new form of government in Iran that is democratically based and facilitates the flourishing of those freedoms.

On Venezuela, Ireland is very committed to the UN Charter and the international rules-based order. Maduro was a very repressive ruler. Unfortunately, the international rules-based order has not been in a position – I say this as a factual observation as opposed to a value judgment – to restrain some of these very authoritarian leaders across the world. There is a problem at the top in terms of the authority and credibility of the international rules-based order. I worry we are at a similar period to that which pre-dated the Second World War when the authority of the League of Nations was eroded. We know what happened then. The world got a chance after the Second World War. We will not get another chance after any confrontation that may arise if the geopolitical situation gets worse.

In the spirit of new year’s goodwill, I will start by agreeing with the Taoiseach. Of course, Russia represents the biggest threat to Europe and to democracy. That is why I prefaced my remarks by saying that.

Of course, Iran is a brutally repressive regime. The Taoiseach does not need to tell us that. I am the only Opposition leader on Putin's blacklist. We have stood very clearly and firmly in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and, indeed, the pro-democracy protesters in Iran, but it is at this time, when we are seeing authoritarianism spreading across the world from countries like Russia, Iran and China, that we need our allies to stand with us. This is when we need to be sure we can rely on other peaceful democracies to stand with us. That is why I framed my remarks as I did. Right now, we cannot rely on the US as a functioning peaceful democracy because we are seeing Trump threatening international law and, indeed, riding roughshod over international-law principles. That is really dangerous. Ireland is going to have an important position this year when it holds the Presidency of the EU. What is the Taoiseach going to do as leader of the country then to take a stand in support of international law and principles of democracy?

Ireland's unequivocal position is to support the international rules-based order and the United Nations. We want reform of the United Nations to make it more substantial and authoritative, particularly in terms of the under-representation of many parts of the world. In our view, Africa, for example, should be represented on the Security Council, and other major blocs should be as well. The Security Council is outdated in terms of composition and membership. We believe in full participation at all multilateral forums. That has always been Ireland’s position and will continue to be. We support the peaceful resolution of disputes through the multilateral frameworks without question. That will be our position when we have the Presidency of the EU. It is also a case of strengthening the EU's own self-reliance and capability. In this regard, the Deputy is correct that Europe cannot always rely on others. That is why there is now additional expenditure on defence and military capability in Europe. Europe in many ways agrees with what the Deputy is saying, and many EU member states feel Europe itself has to develop its own capability and self-reliance in many fields.