Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As Deputy Smith said, it is clear that President Joe Biden is very proud of his Irish roots. He proclaims his Irish heritage whenever he can. The most recent example of this was when he called the men's Irish rugby team to congratulate them on their historic victory over New Zealand. I understand that he also contacted the Taoiseach to pass on his congratulations to the people of Ireland on that victory. It is also clear that the Taoiseach has struck up a good personal relationship with the new President. All of us who believe in multilateral diplomacy and a rules-based international order and who want to see effective measures to tackle climate change, for example, will welcome the change in tone of the US Administration since last year. Has the Taoiseach invited President Biden to make an official visit to Ireland? If so, when is he likely to come here?

Separately, it is clear that President Biden, as well as the EU, has concerns that Russia is planning a possible major military offensive in Ukraine. There are reports that Russia is ready to deploy up to 175,000 troops along the Ukrainian border. President Biden is reported to be considering new measures to deal with this threat and a video call with President Putin is scheduled. How concerned is the Taoiseach about these reports? Is this something that the European Council will consider at its meeting later this month?

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