Ex-Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has called for the Russian Ambassador to be expelled after he said Ireland’s support for Ukraine amounted to a “Nazi ideology”.
Under fire Yuriy Filatov has made a number of outlandish claims and comments since Vladimir Putin's forces invaded the Eastern European country last year.
The Government has previously said any decision to send Filatov back to Russia would only be made in conjunction with other countries in Europe.
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Mr Flanagan, who is now the chair of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, said the Russian Ambassador’s remarks were “deplorable and unacceptable.”
He added: “He should be asked to leave the State.”
Filatov made the outlandish comments on the Russian embassy’s Telegram page in response to Tanaiste Micheal Martin who told the Foreign Affairs committee last week: “Ukraine’s values are EU values, Ukraine’s interests are EU interests, Ukraine’s security is the EU’s security.”
The Russian Ambassador then bizarrely claimed that since the Maidan revolution in 2014, successive Ukrainian governments have been controlled by “ultranationalist” neo-Nazis who have gone after the country’s Russian-speaking population.
In addition, Filatov claimed Ukraine used neo-Nazi paramilitary groups to target Russian speakers.
He wrote: “In a totalitarian fashion it took control over national mass media, banned all opposition political parties and enforced total Ukrainianization of society, including administration, education, culture and service sectors.”
Filatov finished off by saying: “Against such a background the only possible conclusion from the Tánaiste’s remarks is obvious – the western political establishment, including the Irish politicians, associates itself with the remnants of Nazi ideology in an open attempt to use Ukraine’s notorious regime against Russia. So much for European ‘democratic values’.”
A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said in a statement: “Ireland and the EU are resolute in its support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s immoral, illegal, and unjustified invasion.
“As the Tánaiste stated, we stand with Ukraine, for European values, and for the humanitarian effort in aid of its people.”
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