Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and US President Joe Biden held a traditional bilateral meeting on the eve of St Patrick's Day, which is celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world on 17 March. It should be added that Biden himself is a descendant of immigrants from Ireland and considers himself an ethnic Irishman, the BBC reports.
One of the main topics for the leaders of the two countries was Russia's war against Ukraine and the need to restore American aid.
Previous aid packages have been almost exhausted, and the House of Representatives is not considering a new budget request for $60 billion due to the resistance of some Republican Party members.
"I just want to thank you and America for your leadership in helping Ukraine," Varadkar said. "We are very concerned about the situation there, and we don't think that if Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he will stop there, and we really need you to continue your support and leadership.
"This is a fight that we have to win," the Irish Prime Minister stressed.
Ireland, Biden noted, has provided millions of dollars worth of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. It has also taken in a large number of Ukrainian refugees, including those from Mariupol, joined all sanctions against Russia and limited the size of the Russian embassy in Dublin.
However, Ireland does not have a large army, is not a NATO member and has no intention of joining the alliance, so it cannot provide arms assistance to Ukraine.
Background. As a reminder, the US Secretary of Defence has said that if Ukraine is defeated, Russia may attack NATO countries. Without US support, Russia will have an advantage over Ukrainians in artillery, he warned.