The surprise arrival in Dublin of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy sent a jolt of reality through the ceremonies marking the start of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union.

It was a reminder that serious decisions, with life and death implications for people on the far side of the Continent, will be in the Government’s hands over the next six months, with EU defence and security at the top of the agenda.

Closer to home, the Zelenskiy intervention will ask the Government and the Irish people whether they will continue to allow the Aughinish Alumina plant on the Shannon Estuary to supply raw material for the Russian war machine.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament passed a non-binding motion calling for sanctions to ban the future sale of alumina to Russia. The vote is seen as a symbolic gesture, but it will add pressure on the Government and the European Commission over the issue. A decision to ban the export of alumina to Russia would have implications not only for the employment prospects of people in the Limerick area but for the wider EU economy.

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