Thomas Byrne

It's a tricky couple of months ahead for every government in the Western democratic world.

That's the reality of it.

And all of them are trying to do this and show empathy and understand what people are going through.

In Ireland, there will be pay talks starting at some point because the current pay agreement is coming to an end anyway.

So that's coming anyway.

And I have to say, talking to people I'm talking to over the last couple of weeks, there's a lot of fear out there that the oil price currently isn't factoring in

the type of things that Ellen was talking about, the uncertainty that still lies ahead.

The reality is I think the oil price currently shows the trailers on the oil markets, again, far away from here, think that this is going to be resolved very quickly.

And let's be honest, the evidence doesn't suggest that.

So I think that it's very, very important that we take a strategic look, that we protect the economy and jobs, because our national income depends on that, and then see how we protect people in the most effective way.

Not until October, but there already have been supports given to people to deal with this crisis.

Look, I think the level of support that we've given has been among the best in Europe and that, I have to say, is well appreciated in Ukraine.

Every time we meet them, they thank us for the support they've given.

As I understand it, the supports that will exist after this under the Temporary Protection Directive would be pretty similar to what's available around Europe.

Ukrainians can work here, they're educated here.

They can live here because of the war and that is a very, very significant support for them.

Ireland has given, I think, about half a billion euro to Ukraine.

That's not including actually some of the accommodation costs here, but in terms of military support and development support in Ukraine.

And it is essential that this war ends and that they are supported to end it because that's the only way that the refugee crisis will end.

And it's absolutely the case that Putin knows that by putting pressure on governments in terms of refugees, that helps his cause.