The chief of staff of the Irish Defence Forces is to attend the forthcoming Paris Security and Defence Forum but will not participate in talks regarding the creation of an international security force for Ukraine, a spokesman for the Defence Forces has said.
He was responding to reports on Monday that Nato countries, as well as military leaders from non-Nato EU countries including Ireland, would attend the planning talks in Paris. The US is not due to participate.
Tuesday’s gathering of representatives from more than 30 nations will focus on preparations for a force aimed at dissuading Russia from launching another offensive following any ceasefire in Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.
The report, citing an anonymous French military official, referenced the planned attendance of the chiefs of staff of Ireland and Cyprus and a representative from Austria, none of which are Nato members. It said the blueprint was “shrouded in secrecy”.
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However, on Monday night a Defence Forces spokesman played down the role of Ireland’s most senior military leader, the outgoing General Seán Clancy.
“The chief of staff is in Paris for a bilateral meeting with his French counterpart as well as a number of other chiefs of defence,” he said.
“While he has plans to attend the Paris Security and Defence Forum, he will not participate in the discussions concerning the creation of an international security force for Ukraine.”
The meeting, and the attendance of the chief of staff, at the defence forum, comes at a time of heightened debate around Ireland’s neutrality and amid concern over the security of Ukraine against a backdrop of shifting US policy.
[ Opinion: Ireland’s neutrality is widely regarded as absurd and complacentOpens in new window ]
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said last month that Ireland would consider providing peacekeepers to Ukraine after a ceasefire in some circumstances.
Separately, Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne, is set to visit Paris and Lyon for a programme of engagements marking St Patrick’s Day. His visit begins on Tuesday.
During the trip he will meet one of his counterparts, the minister delegate for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, to discuss current EU challenges and to review joint actions. He will also meet OECD deputy secretary-eneral Fabrizia Lapecorella and attend “a number of economic, trade and tourism-focused events” in Paris and Lyon.
According to the AP, Tuesday’s security forum also include Asian and Oceania nations and reflected how broadly France and Britain were casting their net in aiming to build what the French official described as a coalition of nations “able and willing” to be part of an effort to safeguard Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
[ Ireland’s neutrality under attack: shifting geopolitics bring pressure to changeOpens in new window ]
The ultimate decision on whether nations take part in the force, it said, would be taken at a political level, by government leaders.
The force being envisaged by France and Britain would aim to reassure Ukraine and deter another large-scale Russian offensive after any ceasefire, the official said.
It could include heavy weaponry and weapons stockpiles that could be rushed within hours or days to aid in Ukraine’s defence in the event of a Russian attack that shatters any truce, the official said.
