An arms industry lobbyist who regularly features in Irish media discussions about neutrality – without his interests being disclosed – facilitated a meeting between Irish businesses and senior Ukrainian military officials.
UCD professor of international relations Ben Tonra is a founder and director of the Irish Defence and Security Association (IDSA) – lobbyists representing the “defence industry”.
In April 2024 IDSA operations manager Oisín Green invited clients to meet via Zoom with Ukrainian military officials. Correspondence seen by The Ditch shows scheduled attendees included defence ministry colonel Vitaly Cherniuk and Alexandre Yurchak, director of the Ukrainian cluster alliance.
“IDSA and our members have been invited to attend an online meeting with our Ukrainian counterparts to discuss possible collaborations with them,” Green told clients. “IDSA will be represented by myself and Prof. Ben Tonra with a guest list from the Ukrainian side listed below.”
Other prospective attendees at the April meeting included Michael Datsenko from the general staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, representatives from Ukraine's government-backed defence tech cluster BRAVE1 and representatives from the defence technology industry.
Green told IDSA clients that they were all welcome to attend, with plans for a follow-up meeting if the initial discussions were productive. The Ditch has asked Tonra and Green if any IDSA clients have since entered contracts with the Ukrainian armed forces.
IDSA regularly lobbies government on behalf of international arms manufacturers. Records show that Tonra is directly involved in advocating on their behalf – yet this role is rarely if ever disclosed when he makes public statements on defence and Irish neutrality.
‘I don’t think these are serious peace talks’
Ben Tonra regularly appears in Irish newspapers and radio programmes to discuss defence, neutrality and international relations – but his connections to the arms industry and his role in connecting Irish businesses with foreign militaries aren’t mentioned.
Last week, speaking on RTÉ Radio 1 about a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, Tonra didn’t mention his role representing arms manufacturers who stand to benefit from the continuation of the war.
"I don't think these are serious peace talks at all," Tonra told Drivetime. "I think this is political theatre – political theatre to secure for Putin Ukraine. It's not peace Putin wants – it’s Ukraine."
IDSA’s clients include SAAB and Lockheed Martin all of which supply weapons to the Ukrainian military. IDSA – and Tonra himself – lobbies the Irish government on their behalf.
In February Tonra participated in a debate about Irish neutrality in pages of the Irish Times – again his role as a lobbyist for international weapons manufacturers wasn’t mentioned.
“In principle, of course, neutrality is essentially selfish,” he wrote. “It’s the diplomatic equivalent of ‘gach aon duine ar a shon féin, gach aon duine ar mhaithe leis féin’ (every person for his or herself).”
The month before he wrote in the Irish Times that the public should be “very worried” about “European security and the future of transatlantic relations”. His role as a director at IDSA wasn’t disclosed.
Tonra is also a frequent panellist on journalist Brendan O’Connor’s RTÉ radio show where he is described as a “professor of International relations and politics at UCD”..
The Ditch found one instance in which Tonra disclosed his industry connections. Speaking to the Oireachtas EU affairs committee in May 2024, he said, “On the European industrial base, I feel I should make a declaration of interest. I have been volunteering for a number of years in setting up an industry association precisely in this area, the Irish Defence and Security Association.”
The Ditch asked Tonra why he didn’t make a similar declaration when discussing defence and Irish neutrality on the radio and in print media. He declined to comment.
