EU President Ursula von der Leyen at Govt Buildings for meeting with the Taoiseach.
Mon 25 December 2022:
The top diplomat for the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, may have sparked a diplomatic row with the UK by equating Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with Britain’s dominance over Ireland.
The President of the European Commission made a contentious comparison during a speech to the Irish Parliament in Dublin to commemorate Ireland’s 50 years of EU membership.
Von der Leyen said: “I want to focus on five Irish virtues that will help our union confront our shared challenges. First, the Irish passion for freedom. This country understands what it means to fight for the right to exist.”
She continued: “Today, another European nation is striving for independence. Of course, Ireland is far from the front lines in Ukraine. But you understand better than most why this war is so important to all of us. Like our friends in Eastern Europe, you know that in Ukraine, more is at stake than the future of one country.”
Her remarks could strain relations at a time when discussions are ongoing about revising the post-Brexit Northern Ireland protocol trading arrangements.
Former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg commented about her comments, saying: “It’s incredible that Ursula von der Leyen would say something so undiplomatic, unwise, and incorrect.”
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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