Ireland’s Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and numerous other top officials have been banned from entering Russia after the country sanctioned them over Dublin’s support for Ukraine.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar were included in a list of 52 Irish representatives barred from travelling to the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Simon Coveney and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe were also on the list.
A statement released by the Russian foreign ministry said sanctions had been issued in response to Ireland’s support for EU sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
“Acting under the dictation of Brussels, Ireland is conducting an aggressive anti-Russian propaganda campaign,” the statement reads, adding that Moscow will be “guided by the position of Dublin” regarding other measures.
The sanctions come one day after a Foreign Ministry spokesperson released a statement saying that, through its response to the war, the Irish government was “moving to virtually erode” the country’s tradition of military neutrality.
Speaking in the Irish Parliament upon hearing the news, Martin described the sanctions as a “new development” and “part of a broader propaganda war being raged by Russia,” adding, “I don’t think I’ve ever been sanctioned before.”
(Molly Killeen | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
