Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke has confirmed he will have his department’s report into whether Aughinish Alumina products are ending up in Russian military equipment “within the next 10 days”.He told the Dáil there were a “number of clarifications that we are working on with the Ukrainian authorities”. He met the Ukrainian ambassador earlier this week and has also engaged with Swedish authorities.“But I would point out we have a threshold of evidence to attain to go to the European Commission, and that is very challenging.”Burke also said the solution to the controversy over the smelting plant would be “very complex” and that the commission “will have to stand up and take the lead in this”.And he took issue with reports that the Government had lobbied the EU on behalf of the Limerick smelting plant, which employs close to 500 people in Co Limerick.“Since the war in Ukraine and over the 20 sanction packages, our Government has never asked for any sanctions not to be put on Aughinish Alumina,” he insisted.“We have never asked for any leeway. We never have lobbied on their behalf and I have heard in some outlets suggestions that the Irish Government was in their corner in key fora in European contexts. That is not true.”The Minister was responding to Labour finance spokesman Ged Nash, who called for the plant to be nationalised.The Louth TD said it had been three months since the publication of an Irish Times investigation into the plant, which led to the Government’s inquiry.Germany at a crossroads: football, political frustration and the far right Listen | 41:19The Irish Times investigation detailed how Aughinish Alumina was exporting alumina to smelters in Russia, which is then sold to a company which supplies aluminium to Russian arms manufacturers.The Shannon estuary refinery is owned by Russian metals giant Rusal, which Swedish tax authorities recently concluded remains under the control of sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska.The Republic has not been part of 20 previous rounds of sanctions due to the important role Aughinish Alumina plays as a European industry supplier.On Wednesday, in a non-binding vote, the European Parliament supported sanctions against the plant, in which Fianna Fáil abstained, and Fine Gael backed the sanctions.“We’re constantly being told that this operation is important to Ireland as an employer and an energy supplier and is vital to the EU industry supply chain,” said Nash. If that is the case “it is an absolute dereliction of duty if the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and your department are not preparing plans with the European Commission to temporarily take over the ownership of this facility”, especially when the parent company is still controlled by a sanctioned Russian billionaire.The Minister told him the solution to Aughinish, an important supplier for the EU, “is going to be very complex. And critically, the European Commission will have to stand up and take the lead in this”.