The Russian Embassy in Ireland has strongly criticised comments from Irish Government officials surrounding the possibility of deploying Irish peacekeepers in Ukraine.
The embassy said it pays close attention to "this rhetoric" and called such statements "categorically unacceptable and unsustainable".
On Monday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ireland remains open to taking part in any peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.
Earlier today, Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris said Ireland would be willing to consider sending peacekeepers to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
His comments were in response to the announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron that 26 countries are ready to take part in an international force as part of security guarantees for Ukraine.
In a statement, the Russian Embassy said the comments from Irish Government officials are in contradiction to efforts of Russia and the US in attempting to secure a resolution to the war in Ukraine.
It said Ireland cannot be considered to be neutral in the war and described Ireland's position as "openly Russophobic and pro-Ukrainian".
It added that Ireland, as a member of the EU, should recognise that the EU is "rapidly moving away from its originally strictly peaceful integrative agenda", is rapidly militarising itself and has become "a NATO appendage".
The Russian Embassy called on the Irish Government to "stop any attempts to undermine" efforts to secure a "comprehensive, just and sustainable settlement of the conflict".
It added that Ireland should refrain from "cynical attempts to inflate its 'peacekeeping’ reputation on account of the crisis", and claimed that Ireland and other countries in the West played "no small role" in the provocation of the war.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in a phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday that Ireland stands ready to support a ceasefire in Ukraine, "including through the provision of non-lethal military assistance and our openness to taking part in any appropriately mandated peacekeeping mission in line with the UN Charter".
Earlier today, Tánaiste Simon Harris said that Ireland is "very clear" that it has no wish to recuse itself from peacekeeping in Ukraine.
"If there is a peace agreement, Ireland, as a member of the Coalition of the Willing, will want to assist.
"You could see a scenario where if there was a peace agreement, and if part of that peace agreement resulted in peacekeepers being deployed, Ireland could, at that stage consider it, and certainly we're very willing to do that," Mr Harris said.
In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe was drawing up "pretty precise plans" for a multinational troop deployment to Ukraine as part of post-conflict security guarantees that will have the backing of US capabilities.
