Remarkably, on this sad anniversary, President Trump joined with Belarus and North Korea at the UN– siding with the dictator Vladimir Putin and voting against a resolution condemning Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine. It was an extraordinary change for the US; they are absolving Putin of accountability and turning their back on European democracies.

Meanwhile, while the US goes rogue, we in Ireland must stand firm against despots and warmongers, reaffirming our solidarity with Ukraine. The US vote this week was a crude reminder of the dark threat to our international rules-based order. Putin has effectively received an endorsement from the US President, despite the illegal war and brutality he has inflicted on Ukraine.

In the Middle East, the world continues to look on in disbelief as President Trump makes his outrageous and brutal proposals for the US annexation and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people from Gaza. Netanyahu is being let run roughshod over international law with his bombardment of Gaza and now, raids on refugees’ camps and communities in the West Bank. The Trump presidency is well and truly facilitating and engaging in tyranny, oppression, and cruelty across the globe, in cahoots with the world’s most wicked dictatorships.

Before the general election, it seemed that all parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael included, agreed on the urgent need to pass the Occupied Territories Bill. Now, the Government has rowed back, watering down the commitment to enacting the Bill. The scale of Israel’s brutalism, now emboldened by a Trump presidency, cannot go unnoticed. We in Labour will continue to advocate for the enaction of the Occupied Territories Bill and for the imposition of effective sanctions on Israel.

We understand that the Tánaiste will bring proposals to Cabinet next month which would see an end to the Triple Lock. Ending the Triple Lock has an inherent impact on our military neutrality. It opens the door for members of our Defence Forces to participate in foreign conflicts that lack a UN mandate – a clear compromise of our neutrality. Other countries’ fresh disregard for international order should only deepen Ireland’s commitment to its principles of neutrality.

Ireland may be a small country, but we can use our voice to stand up against the rising tide of authoritarianism globally. In the European Union, our MEP Aodhán Ó’Riordáin has used our place in Brussels to vocally call out the hypocrisy of Ursula Von Der Leyen’s response to the genocide in Gaza and President Trump’s ghastly foreign policy proposals. Our Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Duncan Smith is likewise working hard in the Dáil to hold our Government to account on its foreign policy, military neutrality and our role in the upholding of the international rules-based order. Labour will always stay committed to the belief that the values of peace, solidarity and human rights should govern our foreign policy, even in the face of increasingly political instability across our globe.

In solidarity,