107. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Defence to provide details of the armoured vehicles that were offered to Ukraine according to a media report; if the vehicles were to come equipped with weapons; and if so, to detail the types of weapons (details supplied). [53367/26]

108. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Defence whether she considers the offer of armoured vehicles to Ukraine constitutes non-lethal military aid; and to outline the method by which she came to that conclusion. [53368/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 108 together.

The vehicles the Deputy is referring to are the Defence Forces' fleet of 27 Light Tactical Armoured Vehicles (LTAVs). The vehicles were offered to Ukraine as part of Ireland’s ongoing support for the Ukrainian people and armed forces and consistent with the policy of providing non-lethal military assistance.

No weapons formed any part of the proposal made to Ukraine. The purpose of the offer was to provide protected mobility and transport capability to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and not any offensive military capability.

The vehicles were offered without weapons, ammunition or weapon systems.

The LTAVs offer was fully in line with the Government's approach to supporting Ukraine to date, which has focused on the provision of non-lethal military assistance and humanitarian support.

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine expressed its sincere gratitude for the offer and for Ireland's continued support, but ultimately decided not to accept the vehicles. That was an operational decision for the Ukrainian authorities, who are best placed themselves to determine what equipment can be integrated effectively into their existing logistics, maintenance and training systems.

Ireland respects Ukraine's assessment of its own requirements, based on its own defined needs and will continue to engage closely with Ukrainian counterparts regarding areas where Ireland can make a practical and meaningful contribution, in line with Government’s policy in this regard.