“This meeting of the European Council is once again against a deeply concerning global backdrop. We all agree that the regime in Iran is a malign force, supressing its own people, spreading terrorism and chaos across the region, and must never have a nuclear weapon. But the conflict is causing untold suffering and adversely impacting Europe and the world, including economically.

“We must support all efforts to de-escalate and return to diplomacy and dialogue. A negotiated outcome is the only way to end this conflict and to alleviate its negative consequences including on the cost of energy, which I know is impacting many households and businesses.

“The situation in Lebanon is also deeply concerning. I call on Israel to stop its military operations and engage in negotiations aimed at restoring the ceasefire conditions agreed only last year. At the same time, we must continue to support the Government of Lebanon and provide much needed humanitarian assistance. I will make clear again that recent attacks on UNIFIL troops are completely unacceptable. All sides are obliged to protect peacekeepers and to respect the Mission’s mandate.

“I will also stress the need not to lose sight of the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, which remains very worrying. We need to redouble efforts in support of a viable two-state solution.

“We must also maintain our focus on support for Ukraine. We need to find a way to ensure that the €90 billion loan agreed in December is provided to Ukraine as soon as possible to meet its immediate needs as it continues to defend itself against Russian aggression. We must also step up our pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire and engage in meaningful negotiations to deliver a just and lasting peace for the people of Ukraine.

“I look forward to our working lunch with UN Secretary General Guterres. There has been much commentary in recent times on the state of the international rules-based order. I strongly believe that this a time to hold strong to our principles, to state our support for international law, the UN Charter and effective multilateralism, and to commit to UN reform. This has been and remains Ireland’s steadfast position.

“Following on from our discussions at the EU Leaders’ retreat in February, I also look forward to putting into action our shared goal of strengthening the EU’s competitiveness. This means completing our Single Market, making it easier and less burdensome to do business, mobilising financing and simplifying rules to support our start-ups and SMEs and to deliver critical infrastructure, while advancing the green and digital transitions. The outcome of this meeting will be a very significant input as we prepare to take over the Presidency of the EU this summer.

“The impact of the conflict in the Gulf on energy costs only further underlines the need to decarbonise our economies. I look forward to discussing with my fellow EU leaders what we can do collectively in the short term to ease the pressure on families and businesses and what we need to do in the long term to tackle high energy costs, which are a drag on our competitiveness.”