Eastern European diplomats have warned that continued solidarity is needed across Europe as Russian aggression continues in Ukraine.
Ambassadors from Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia spoke about the invasion and the security situation in Europe in Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Sligo.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko said that Russia also posed a clear threat to western countries as "a new and dangerous phase" of the war was under way.
"Recent drone incidents across Europe send a clear message: Russia is no longer limiting its aggression to Ukraine - it is testing the resilience of Europe as a whole.
"This war was never just about Ukraine. From day one, Russia's goal has been to destabilise the West, fracture European unity, and erode the foundations of our collective security.
"We are taking about a threat to all of Europe and the EU ... if there’s a weak reaction. He [Vladimir Putin] will go further. Please remember my words."
Ms Gerasko told the moderated discussion that Ukraine was ready to discuss a ceasefire. She said the country's sovereignty was not on the table.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of wanting to sow "chaos" in Ukraine by launching strikes on his country's energy grid and railway infrastructure.
Moscow, whose forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, has in recent weeks escalated aerial attacks on energy facilities and rail systems.
They mirror similar Russian bombing campaigns in the winters of 2022, 2023 and 2024, leaving millions of Ukrainians without energy or heating for long periods.
Charge d’affaires of Poland Artur Michalski said ignoring the war that Russia started against Ukraine "means accepting a colonial mentality" and "there is no place for colonialism in 21st-century Europe".
"We are on the Atlantic shore coming from the eastern part of Europe. I am here to tell you that we face a common threat."
Latvian Ambassador Juris Štālmeistars told the discussion that his country was "also experiencing all kinds of hybrid warfare from Russia".
He spoke of pressures placed on its national border, cyber attacks and propaganda that were a significant part of the warfare.
"We are very committed on the need to be resilient. Our main priority is the protection of our people ... and to make sure our joint EU project is safe."
Estonian Ambassador Kairi Künka echoed those sentiments when she spoke to ATU students and staff.
"Of course, people are worried like people everywhere, but we stand in solidary with Ukraine.
"They are really fighting for all western European values and our freedom that we have enjoyed over the past 80 years."
Russia launched its full-scale offensive on Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a "special military operation" to demilitarise the country and prevent the expansion of NATO.
Kyiv and its European allies have cast the war as an illegal land grab that has resulted in tens of thousands of civilian and military casualties, as well as widespread destruction.
Millions of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes since 2022, while Russia occupies around a fifth of Ukrainian territory - much of it ravaged by fighting.
Ambassador of Lithuania Jonas Grinevičius said that a united stance was needed "to stop the aggressor".
"The sentiment [in Lithuania] is empathy and support in Ukraine for its people’s suffering.
"We appreciate very much what Ireland is doing in that regard, all the European Union and NATO as well.
"It very much depends on Moscow’s willingness to stop the aggression and negotiate, but we must not surrender to fatigue and support Ukraine.
"It might take some time, but we have to realise that we have no other strategic options because this is a threat to us all, not just Ukrainians."
The event in Sligo was the fourth moderated discussion with the five ambassadors at Irish academic institutions with previous engagements held in University of Galway, University College Cork and Trinity College, Dublin.
