Negotiation and co-operation with US President Donald Trump will be key to avoiding “huge challenges” to the global economy, Ireland’s finance minister said.
Paschal Donohoe said he “profoundly disagrees” with Mr Trump’s comments about the war in Ukraine, and his attack on President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Speaking in Dublin, Mr Donohoe said that Ireland and Europe need to take steps to strengthen its economy in a world that is becoming more volatile.
On Taoiseach Micheal Martin’s St Patrick’s Day visit to Washington next month, the Fine Gael minister said it will be a “very balanced discussion” with Mr Trump.
“We will acknowledge the friendship that is there between Ireland and America, but also acknowledge the very clear challenges and difficulties that are there due to what is now unfolding in Ukraine and due to the challenges that we can face from a tariff point of view and indeed the tax point of view,” Mr Donohoe added.
“But I expect the message that the Government of Ireland will be giving is these challenges are real, but they’re best dealt with from the point of view of negotiation, co-operation and, even in these difficult moments, partnership.
“We want to, through the European Union, negotiate with the United States to avoid the worst and to try to find agreed and better outcomes versus taking actions that could cause huge challenges to the global economy, to America and to Ireland.”
He said that billions of euro in trade is exchanges in goods and services between the US and the European Union.
Describing it as the biggest economic relationship of its kind in the world, the Dublin TD said any reduction in that trade would result in higher prices, a loss of jobs, and a loss of tax revenue that funds public services across the world.
“That is a real risk that I believe we should all work together to avoid any particular risk for an open trading economy like we have here in Ireland,” he added.
“We have avoided a scenario developing like that now for many, many years, and I believe in the weeks that await, we should continue with our efforts to try to avoid that happening.”
He added: “In relation to the comments of President Trump, I do profoundly disagree with the analysis that he has offered of recent events in Europe.
“But all that being said, that just has to underline to all of us the actions that need to be taken to make Europe secure and to make Ireland secure, and also the steps that we need to take to strengthen our own economy and to build up Europe in a world that is becoming more volatile and a lot more (uncertain).
“Whether that is decisions that we make regarding employment here in Ireland or public finances, and then the obvious decisions that we’re already implementing regarding investing in our own security.
“The urgency of this is only growing, and the importance of it is only made clearer by the comments that have been made in recent days.”
Mr Donohoe also said there is a “common thread” among his European colleagues on how it engages with the US and, in the future, negotiates with one of their biggest trading partners.
He said the Government’s St Patrick’s Day programme offers an “ideal way” of doing that.
“I know, as we put together our events and look at how we conduct ourselves, we are very, very mindful of the wars that are on the way in Ukraine, in particular, the suffering in Gaza, I am conscious to act in a way that’s respectful of that,” he added.
He also told reporters that the contributions and responses of governments across Europe in response to Mr Trump have been made out of “care”.
He said that from an economic and security point of view, the US will “really matter”.
“I think the tone that we’ve adopted here in Ireland is very consistent with what other European governments are doing. Yes, the statements that President Trump is making, of course, do have consequences,” Mr Donohoe continued.
“He is the directly and legitimately elected President of the United States of America. We will have to deal with him on that basis.
“But friends always do reserve the right to disagree, and we do have a very different view on the issues that he is raising at the moment, that makes them all the more important to engage, to meet President Trump.”
