Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said Micheál Martin faces a “tough job” when he travels to Washington for St Patrick’s Day, noting that the Irish leader will have to “walk a tightrope” during his meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Mr Martin is scheduled to meet President Trump at the White House on 17 March, after formally accepting the invitation last month. Speaking on RTÉ’s Brendan O’Connor show, Mr Varadkar described the visit as more than a photo opportunity, calling it a “chance for Ireland to advance its interests and say something on the world stage.”
“You know, he doesn’t want to say or do anything that might damage Ireland, and that’s his responsibility as Taoiseach,” Mr Varadkar said. “But I do think Irish people will want him to use the opportunity to say something.”
The former Fine Gael leader noted that Martin would have two key moments to address issues with the US administration. The first will be in the Oval Office, a setting offering direct engagement with the president. The second will take place during the Shamrock Ceremony, a traditional event that began in 1952 in which the Taoiseach presents a bowl of shamrocks to the US President. Mr Varadkar said the ceremony is “more scripted” and provides a “safer environment to make remarks.”
Reflecting on broader transatlantic relations, Mr Varadkar said the European-American relationship has changed permanently. He warned that even under a traditional Republican or liberal Democrat administration, Europe will continue to harbor concerns over the reliability of the US. “There will always be the risk and fear in the minds of Europeans that America will go back the other way again,” he said, calling for the European Union to strengthen its foreign policy capacity.
Speaking at a Cork Chamber event last month, Mr Martin described economic relations between Ireland and the US as “of enormous value to both of our countries” and emphasized that open dialogue underpins those ties. During last year’s meeting, President Trump said it was a “great honour” to host the Taoiseach and highlighted his “tremendous business relationships” with Ireland.
Mr Varadkar also weighed in on the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict, saying the United States and Israel should accept refugees fleeing the war in Iran and the Middle East. He questioned the practicality of Europe refusing asylum under international law, and suggested that the countries responsible for the conflict should also pay for reconstruction.
“The countries that started the war should accept them,” he said. “We’ve seen this movie before. Iraq, Syria—countries broke up on ethnic grounds, civil war followed, increased terrorism, and significant migrant flows toward Europe.”
Mr Varadkar described the Iran conflict as “a war without any clear reason” and warned that the regime is unlikely to surrender. Speaking of his discussions with Iranian students in the US, he said many fear a military coup or the rise of a US-aligned leader who would maintain control, leaving the country vulnerable to civil war similar to Libya, Syria, and Iraq.
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