LONDON

The Russian Embassy in Dublin on Thursday criticized the Irish statement on the possibility of deploying an Irish peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine, warning that it may result in an "uncontrolled escalation with unpredictable consequences."

In a statement, the embassy said it pays close attention to Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris's statement on Thursday that Ireland would be willing to consider sending peacekeepers to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.

Russia considers this "categorically unacceptable and unsustainable," it said.

"Any attempts of the Irish officials to legitimize such an idea by speculating over a United Nations Security Council mandate would be deemed inadmissible," the embassy said.

The statement added that it is important to emphasize that Ireland "cannot be considered as a neutral state" with regard to the conflict in Ukraine, given its "openly Russophobic and pro-Ukrainian position."

"Russia categorically rejects any scenarios which envisage the deployment of the Western military contingents in Ukraine and may result in an uncontrolled escalation with unpredictable consequences," it added.

The statement also called on the Irish government to "stop any attempts to undermine" the efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and sustainable settlement of the conflict over Ukraine.