What part-if any-should Ireland play in the defence of Ukraine if Russia invades?

We should preemptively invade Russia. It’s the last thing they’d expect, we’d totally catch them off guard. Sack Moscow, liberate the Crimea, bring back loads of vodka. Job done.

Push for military powers in Europe to supply anti tank weapons, anti aircraft missiles, etc to the Ukraine immediately.

Ask Germany to stop equivocation on the matter.

Apart from that, not much we can do.

Germany is in a difficult position. Imagine the propaganda value of Russia seizing weapons with "Made in Germany" on them?

Ukraine needs a couple of squadrons of A10s. Perfect for slaughtering large numbers of Russian troops quickly and for stopping tanks and vehicles.

We could nationalise Aughinish Alumina until it's over.

Pro Russia propaganda at it's Putinist

Hmmm, good point. I had planned on using Uber Eats to feed them, but they're German.

Ok, so how about using some resources we do have. We know from reading Boards that RTE is the most insidious, devious, iniquitous propaganda machine known to man. We also know that if there's anything Russians long for from Soviet times that they're not getting any more from their squeaky clean Government, it's a good old-fashioned bit of propaganda. So how about RTE sets up ЯTЭ, and has George Lee (Georgy Leeanov) in an ushanka breathlessly telling all the comrades that Ukraine has armed all their bears with robot hands and lasers? No conscript from Novosibirsk is going to want to fight a hoard of cyborg bears.

Something of a sterner response is required.

Tell the Great USA War Machine to mind there own business

Russian forces in Mali, Syria, moving borders in Georgia to get control of a pipeline, the death and destruction in eastern Ukraine, the invasion and annexation of Crimea nd dissapearance of all objectors. The armed buildup threatening Ukraine ... ah yes, that US war machine, comrade.

Who are we going to borrow the nukes off?

I guess we could

1) freeze their assets in Ireland

2) Cut their communications links here to the rest of the world.

3) Ban sea and air traffic in our territory

4) Spread a variant in Russia.

I think Ireland sould stay well out of it.

The same way you wouldn't intervene when two brothers are tearing strips off each other.

Here's my t'uppence.

There are issues here going back a couple of hundred years and we have no understanding of the situation.

For example: Putin (and state media) sees himself as the Sovereign of all the Rus - The Great (Russia), the Little (Ukraine), and the White (Belarus).

And, back when the Soviet Union broke up the three countries saw themselves as independant states, except for when Putin and Lukaschenko were elected in the mid-90s that the attitude swung back to the message of "Make Russia Great Again" in those two countries. Now, if The Eastern side of Ukraine (traditionally Russian cultured) were backing Putin's message then he might be able to invade and occupy, however, ALL of 90% of Ukrainians see their country's future as being closer to Europe.

So, Putin needs to throw a few shapes to pander to the MRGA audience back home and hopefully they will forget the simple message that Navalny was saying for years and what the younger people heard - Russia is a nation, not an empire.

There is also another theory from friend of mine over there and that is that after the Soviet Union fell many Ukrainian Oligarchs emerged - similarily to the Russian ones - with vast ill-gotten fortunes but we don't hear about them over here and the Putin is throwing shapes in a effort to scare them into paying him off attacking the country. Apparently they fear losing their money.

Anyway, Russia has the capability to invade, but probably not the capability of occupying and quelling a guerilla force.

But I suppose we'll have to wait and see what happens. But we should stay well out of it.

EDIT: Correct misspelling of Country's

EDIT2: We should go along with the EU's stance and the UN etc etc, as someone pointed out "diplomatically" we can "tell them to cop on" but on our own, no way thank you.

Mind our own business and keep out of it.

Although if it happens Coveney as usual condemn it "in the strongest possible terms".

keep well out of it....none of our business.

This isn't 1941. Just fly there with Ryanair! A few hundred men with guns and the Kremlin would be ours.

The only thing we can do and the whole world should do is hurt them economically severely but we're all too self interested and unwilling to lose money or take some pain ourselves so as usual we'll do nothing but condemn then move on.

UK supplying thousands of anti armour missiles as we speak.