Ireland would be “unlikely” to offer condolences if Putin died, says Varadkar

Mike Finnerty 27 Jul 2023

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he does not think the Government would offer condolences to Russia in the event of Vladimir Putin’s death.

Asked by reporters if Ireland would offer condolences to Russia in the event of Putin’s death, Varadkar said: “I don’t think so.”

He said he did not believe an Irish delegation would be present at the Russian president’s funeral.

Briefly pausing to consider the theoretical event, he added: “It’s a good question, I hadn’t thought of it before.”

Varadkar, who was put on a list by the Russian government that banned him from entering the country in 2022, said “I wouldn’t imagine we’d be represented at the funeral.”

Vardkar was speaking in the context of Ireland’s foreign policy and its policy of neutrality.

During the Second World War, the Irish government adhered to a policy of neutrality, but then-Taoiseach Éamon de Valera sparked outrage among the international community when he expressed condolences following Adolf Hitler’s death in 1945.

While Ireland insists it continues to employ a policy of neutrality, senior government ministers say this relates to being “militarily neutral” rather than being “politically neutral.”

Last week, Varadkar pledged to stand with Ukraine for “as long as it takes” when he visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

He also announced millions of euro in additional funding for humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and visited sites of Russian war crimes committed in the early stages of the war.

An Taoiseach praised Zelenskyy for his “remarkable leadership” since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, and that he had come “face to face with the horror” of Russian actions.

He added that the world “needs to ensure that Ukraine succeeds in its war with Russia.”