Minister for Defence Helen McEntee has said the Republic is open to buying military equipment from the United States as part of its prioritisation of investment in land, sea and air defences.
Trade discussions have featured prominently during her two-day visit to Washington, where she met US trade ambassador Jamieson Grier and other members of the Trump administration.
“What I am saying is that we’re open and want to work with everybody here, that includes the US,” she said on Thursday before a closing series of meetings on Capitol Hill.
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“And I think with some of our new strategies, there is an opportunity to collaborate and co-operate more. Look, I think what’s clear here is that the relationship [between] Ireland and the US is incredibly strong and there is a trust there that has been in place for many years.”
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She confirmed that the United States judiciary report accusing the European Union – and specifically the Republic – of censoring digital free speech, which influenced election outcomes, formed part of her conversations with Grier. She stressed the State’s position that the regulations are designed to protect young people.
“I think there are certain elements of this that we don’t agree on. And for me it’s important that we engage on the areas we disagree on,” she said.
“I think what we all agree on is that, irrespective of whether someone is online or offline, they are protected. It’s about engaging and looking at how we can resolve those differences and I certainly think there is a view from the US that perhaps, you know, we could not deregulate. There is an element of red tape that could be removed and Ireland has been very clear that that’s something we want to see happen.”
The fallout from US president Donald Trump’s contentious Davos speech and the alarming threats regarding Greenland prompted a conclusion that the State had reached the point where it must make a choice between an alliance with the EU or the US. During an address at the Atlantic Conference on Wednesday, McEntee dismissed that theory as “simplistic, reductive and fundamentally incorrect”.
“Firstly, I think that it’s not the first time there have been differences or disagreements in policy,” she said.
“I accept that they have been more frequent and more visible in recent weeks and months alone. But that fundamentally doesn’t change the fact that here is a relation[ship] that goes back 250 years.”
McEntee said that Grier and US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick had made it clear that the EU would continue to be the US’s most important trading partner.
“I think any commentary that we need to choose one or the other, it’s simplistic. And it doesn’t get down to the detail and day-to-day connections that are there.”
