Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko has called on Irish people to boycott Jameson in protest over the whiskey company's decision to resume trade in Russia.
Gerasko said she would no longer be buying Jameson products and called on Irish pubs, restaurants, and people to do the same.
Jameson, which is owned by French company Pernod Ricard, resumed trading in Russia last year and said it fully complies with all international sanctions.
The company said it took the decision to resume trading in Russia to protect the livelihoods and welfare of its local teams in Russia.
However, Gerasko did not accept Jameson's explanation for resuming trade in Russia and accused the company of helping to finance Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
"We pay the highest price, by human life, and we call on all companies to stop any trade relationship with the aggressor state, the terrorist state," Gerasko told RTÉ News.
Gerasko advised Jameson to move its local teams to France or Ireland if it is concerned about their safety.
Gerasko said she had raised her concerns with Jameson a number of weeks ago but added that nobody from the company got back to her.
"Of course, we are disappointed we haven’t heard from them," Gerasko told RTÉ.
"We are very concerned because by trading with Russia, companies finance the Russian war machine."
Pernod Ricard said it is exploring ways to navigate the problem, adding that it is considering stopping "the export of our international brands" if it can ensure the safety of its local teams.
The company said its main property is to protect its workers in Russia.
"We continue to work hard to find the best solution to this difficult dilemma," Pernod Ricard said in a statement.
Activists staged a protest outside Jameson's Dublin headquarters on Thursday to protest against the company's decision to resume trade with Russia.
Organized by Ukrainian Action Ireland, the protest saw demonstrators hand out fliers calling for a boycott of Jameson and demanding that Pernod Ricard cease trading with Russia.
Irish Senator Garrett Ahearn called on Pernod Ricard to cease trading with Russia immediately and described the move to resume trading as "morally unjustifiable and wrong".
"This decision, made in some boardroom in France with only the bottom line on the agenda, hurts our image internationally. It needs to be reversed and time called on exporting Jameson to Putin’s Russia," Ahearn told the Irish Examiner.
The Examiner also reports that Pernod Ricard is considering stopping exports to Russia amid significant backlash.
More than 1,000 companies have boycotted Russia and Belarus since the outbreak of Russia's war with Ukraine in February 2022.
The Ukrainian Government has claimed that the need for such boycotts is urgent to help foil the Russian war effort.
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