Taoiseach hails Trump’s role in Ukraine peace talks ahead of White House meeting
US president Donald Trump will host Taoiseach Micheal Martin in the White House on Wednesday, in a highly anticipated meeting which is expected to touch on Ireland’s trading relationship with America.The meeting comes amid heightened concern that Mr Trump’s protectionist approach to tariffs and tax could pose a significant risk to an Irish economy that is in large part sustained by long-standing investment by US multinationals.The European Union will impose counter-tariffs on €26bn ($28bn) worth of US goods from next month, the European Commission said on Wednesday morning.A busy itinerary on Wednesday sees Mr Martin first attending a breakfast meeting with Vice President JD Vance at his official residence, the US Naval Observatory.From there the Taoiseach will go to the West Wing of the White House, where he will hold a bilateral meeting with Mr Trump in the Oval Office.The Fianna Fáil leader will then travel to the US Capitol building for the Friends of Ireland luncheon hosted by House Speaker Mike Johnson before returning to the White House for the traditional shamrock ceremony.Taoiseach Micheál Martin meeting members of the public at a pop-up gaeltacht at Ireland House in Austin, Texas during the SXSW festival, as part of his week-long visit to the US. Picture: Niall Carson/PAMr Martin will be the first EU leader to meet Mr Trump following the proposals for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine and the lifting of the US suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.The Taoiseach on Tuesday paid tribute to Mr Trump’s “unrelenting focus on peace” after the ceasefire proposal was hammered out with Ukraine. Speaking in Washington DC, Mr Marin said the ceasefire deal in Ukraine was “very welcome news”.
I think it increases the momentum towards a ceasefire and ultimately, hopefully, towards a lasting and fair peace.
“There was substantive discussions between Ukraine and United States. That's very clear from some of the readouts I've read." Taoiseach Micheál Martin meeting with the Governor of Texas Greg Abbott in Austin, Texas on Monday. Picture: Government of IrelandFocusing on Mr Trump, just hours before his White House meeting, Mr Martin added: “There’s never an ideal moment to launch a peace initiative, and I would pay tribute to president Trump for his unrelenting focus on peace, both in Ukraine and in the Middle East. “Clearly, a lot of hours were put in and a lot of issues other than an immediate cease were discussed, apparently as well. That's, I think, all positive. ""The enormity of this war cannot be understated. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of young people have been killed.“It's had a devastating impact on the people of Ukraine, on the civilian infrastructure.“From all of our perspectives, I think we all desire a fair and a lasting peace, and hopefully this is the beginning of a momentum towards that now and we will see the response from Russia.” Mr Martin continued: “I would pay tribute to president Trump for his unrelenting focus on peace, both in Ukraine and in the Middle East.“But I think momentum is clearly picking up now as a result of the outcome of the talks today, and hopefully that can progress into more substantive discussions.” Taoiseach Micheál Martin speaking to the media in Austin, Texas, as his week long visit to the US continues. Picture date: Tuesday March 11, 2025. PA Photo. The Taoiseach will visit Austin, Texas, before heading to Washington DC for the traditional St Patrick's Day celebrations in the US capital. See PA story IRISH US. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA WireAsked if he would be inviting Mr Trump to visit Ireland or giving him an additional gift on top of the shamrock bowl, Mr Martin told reporters: “The president is always welcome to visit Ireland and obviously we’ll be engaging on that front.”A host of Irish Government ministers is also travelling to the US this week, including Tánaiste Simon Harris, who is visiting Philadelphia and New York at a time described as a key juncture in European-US relations
- additional reporting from PA
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