24/3/2023 The Irish Neutrality League has condemned bellicose comments from Leo Varadkar made at an EU summit (23/3/2023). Varadkar said that “Putin will stop where we stop him”.
In a statement, the INL said:
“This is not the time for fake Churchillian acts. Drawing false analogies with Europe in 1939 will not help stop a bloody war where over 200,000 soldiers have already lost their lives. The issue is not appeasement nor is it softness on Putin. It is a matter of political choices. Those who call for ever-more ammunition and weaponry to be sent to Ukraine need to spell out the lengths to which they will go. It is a recipe for permanent warfare where the number killed on the battlefield could rise to millions.
“With his brash Churchillian comments, Varadkar is simply preparing the population for the greater militarization of Europe and for Irish participation in NATO. The Irish Neutrality League calls for peace negotiations to halt this bloody war. If the Irish government started to act as genuine leaders of a neutral country, it could play a positive role in helping to broker a settlement that respects the rights of all concerned.”