Irish Minister of State Niall Collins has publicly rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for Ireland to halt exports of alumina to Russia, insisting that Ireland has been a strong supporter of Ukraine throughout the war. The dispute matters because it exposes tension between Ireland's stated backing for Kyiv and the continued operation of a Russian-owned industrial plant on Irish soil at the very moment Ireland assumes the EU Presidency.

At the centre of the row is Aughinish Alumina in County Limerick, owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and reportedly still controlled by him according to Swedish tax authorities. Zelensky made a veiled reference to the plant, warning that "every ton of raw materials that ends up in Russia is used against us in this war". Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said a review of the facility's Russian links will be completed within "weeks". The plant is a major employer in Collins's own constituency, and the affair overshadowed both the EU Presidency opening ceremony and Martin's talks with Zelensky.