Western publications are commenting today on the results of yesterday's landmark visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Ireland, where he met with Irish Prime Minister Michail Martin and other high-ranking officials and participated in the ceremony at Dublin Castle on the occasion of the start of the Irish presidency of the Council of the European Union, BTA writes.
Great Britain
Zelensky called on the EU to impose sanctions on a Russian aluminum plant in Ireland, the British newspaper "Financial Times" headlines.
Ireland will ensure that metal from a Russian aluminum plant in Ireland will not "support the Russian military machine", promised the country's Prime Minister Michail Martin, after Ukrainian President Zelensky called on the EU to impose sanctions on the plant during his visit in Dublin.
Michael Martin said the investigation into the involvement in the production of weapons of the Aughinish Alumina plant, whose Russian owner Rusal was founded by the sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska, will be concluded soon.
The plant is the largest bauxite processing plant in Europe and is located on the island of Aughinish in Ireland. The plant produces approximately 30 percent of the continent's alumina needs and plays a key role in the supply chains of the construction, automotive and aviation industries.
"We do not want to find ourselves in a situation where materials produced in a plant in Ireland are going to support the Russian military machine," Martin said yesterday. "We are nearing the end of the investigation to have the full picture of the facts," he said, adding that he would discuss the results with the European Commission.
According to an EU diplomat, Dublin has defended Oginish from "strong pressure" from other EU countries to impose sanctions on the plant, the Financial Times reported.
Martin's statements were made at a joint press conference after bilateral talks on the issue with Zelensky, who said he wanted the investigation to be concluded in less than a month.
"Every ton of raw material that ends up in Russia is being used against us in this war. We hope we won't have to wait a whole month," the Ukrainian president said.
He had earlier pressed the Irish government and European Council President Antonio Costa on this issue in his speech at the opening ceremony of the six-month Irish presidency of the EU Council in Dublin Castle.
Expressing gratitude to the EU for its assistance during the war, Zelensky added: "I urge you to continue this support through new European sanctions, which are necessary against Russia's "shadow fleet" and against many of the tools that (Russian President Vladimir Putin) can still rely on to continue this war.
"Unfortunately, there are companies in Europe that are owned or de facto controlled by Russia and its oligarchs that are subject to sanctions. They continue to supply the aggressor with vital materials, even now," the Ukrainian president said.
Ireland is investigating how much alumina is exported to Russia from the Limerick plant, which is Europe's largest processing plant for the raw material used in aluminum production. Neither Rusal nor Oginish are currently subject to sanctions. Deripaska, however, is subject to sanctions by the US, EU and UK.
Russian customs data from last year, analyzed by the Financial Times, show that the largest recipient of alumina is Rusal's Krasnoyarsk plant - a major aluminium production hub in Siberia.
Last month, Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke cast doubt on figures from the Irish National Statistics Office showing that 83 percent of Oginish's exports in the first quarter were to Russia, saying the company had informed him it had made a mistake. Rusal said the figure was 51 percent, up from 45 percent last year.
But an EU diplomat said even 51 percent was still a huge number — especially at a time when Russia is carrying out massive missile and drone attacks against Ukraine.
"We are authorizing this export of alumina to Russia, knowing that these missiles are made with this raw material", the diplomat said, adding: "This is very cynical […] for us no amount is acceptable".
The Irish government wants to accelerate Ukraine's accession to the EU during its presidency after the formal start of negotiations last month.
The metallurgical plant also exports to Sweden and France, the British publication notes.
"When we talk to Ireland privately, they say that sanctions would lead to the closure of the business. If sanctions would lead to the closure of the business, it means that the volume that goes to Russia is huge," the EU diplomat said.
Imposing sanctions on "Oginish" would come at a delicate moment for Ireland, which will hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council until December.
Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ireland has been considering nationalizing "Oginish". It is unclear, however, whether he will take such a step now.
"What we should not do is react impulsively just because there is pressure", said a former Irish minister familiar with the discussions, while acknowledging that "Oginish" is "a reputational issue" for Ireland.
"Once we have the facts, the government needs to look at the options", said the former minister, adding: "Will "Oginish" be nationalized? Unlikely. This is more of an option for crisis situations, which we have considered only superficially in the past.
Ireland
Zelensky called on the Irish government to cut off supplies of alumina to Russia, the Irish newspaper "Irish Times" headlines.
During a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Ireland, Zelensky made his most direct call yet for measures to be taken to cut off supplies of alumina to Russia.
"I really hope that with everything we are doing now, we are cutting off every opportunity, every area in which Russia can strengthen its capabilities and militarize itself," the Ukrainian leader told journalists.
Zelensky later discussed the investigation into "Oginish" in a one-on-one meeting with Martin.
The Irish Air Force spent much of yesterday tracking a ship linked to the "Oginish" as it moved in the Irish Sea during Zelensky's visit, the "Irish Times" noted.
The merchant ship, owned by an Estonian shipping company, was tracked by aircraft for several hours. It regularly transports alumina from "Oginish" to Russia. The ship is not subject to sanctions and is not suspected of any wrongdoing.
Irish security sources said it was being monitored because of its ties to Russia and because it had deviated from its usual route by sailing in the Irish Sea.
Ukraine has not accepted a donation of armoured fighting vehicles from Ireland because repairing them would be too expensive, Ukrainian President Zelensky said during his visit to Dublin, the Irish Times reported.
The newspaper reported yesterday that the government had recently offered Ukraine all 27 of the Defence Forces' light tactical armoured vehicles, which were first acquired 17 years ago but were rarely used.
The vehicles, manufactured by a South African company, had a poor reputation and were often prone to breakdowns. They were eventually decommissioned in 2024 and placed in storage.
Ireland frequently donates military equipment to Ukraine's armed forces, and Irish soldiers also train Ukrainian soldiers under an EU program, the Irish Times notes.
Under Ireland's policy of military neutrality, both the training and the equipment are intended to be "non-lethal" in nature. Previous donations of equipment have included unarmored military vehicles, mine-clearing vehicles and body armor.
The military training has focused on mine clearance, medical assistance and military engineering, the Irish newspaper said.
However, the proposed donation of armored fighting vehicles appears to contradict government policy. These vehicles are usually equipped as standard with remotely controlled weapons systems on the roof, where machine guns or grenade launchers are usually mounted.
In a statement in Dublin, Zelensky said that any offers of military equipment or machinery were highly appreciated during the war with Russia.
However, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry had to consider whether the funds spent on re-equipping or repairing the equipment could not be better used for other purposes, such as purchasing drones.
Zelensky said that the proposed vehicles were old and needed repair before they could be used by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield.
"We never refuse anything during war", he said.
"We need armored combat vehicles [...] We need them, but if we can use these assets for drones, we will use them for drones", Zelensky stressed.
France
Meanwhile, at least nine people were killed in Russian strikes on Kiev last night, after a warning of a massive attack by Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the French newspaper "Figaro".
During a press conference in Dublin yesterday afternoon, Ukrainian President Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a new "massive" attack on Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president had said yesterday in Dublin that he would return to Kiev immediately after receiving information about a new Russian attack being prepared.
"We know that (Vladimir) Putin has been preparing this massive strike against Ukraine for some time", he said during the press conference in Dublin, calling on Ukrainians to "be even more vigilant to protect themselves".