March 15 (UPI) — Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar visited the White House for a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday, ahead of the St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Sunday.
During Friday’s Friends of Ireland Luncheon, Biden touted the United States and Ireland’s continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, adding that he thanked Varadkar earlier that day for Ireland’s “unwavering” humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Gaza.
Biden emphasized the importance of a national security bill that includes funding for Ukraine and Israel, as well as humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
“I’m committed to continuing to do our part,” Biden said. “I’m confident that the vast majority of members of Congress are willing to do their part, and I continue to urge ever member in this room to stand up to Vladimir Putin.”
Varadkar in his speech said “we need to stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes,” while calling for an end to the “terrible violence and loss of human life in Gaza” following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.
“These are global challenges that demand our courage, our empathy and our action, and we pray for the wisdom of St. Patrick in facing them,” he said.
The White House said Biden and Varadkar met beforehand to talk about their commitment to Ukraine, the situation in Gaza and the Middle East and the United States’ continued support of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.
Varadkar said on Wednesday he wanted to nudge Biden into making a stronger stand in calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, calling Israel’s military response in Gaza “catastrophic and of great concern.”
“I will put across the strong view of the Irish people that there should be an immediate cease-fire, so hostages can be released so that medicine and food that’s desperately needed can get into Gaza,” he said.
Biden’s stance on Israel has cast a shadow on this year’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities, and public disapproval of Biden has risen in Ireland.
The president, who has long touted his Irish ancestry, faces a stark contrast in Irish sentiment compared to a year ago, when he addressed a cheering crowd in his great-great-great grandfather’s hometown of Ballina in County Mayo.
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, a center-left Irish lawmaker who welcomed Biden to Dublin last year, told CBS News no such crowd would turn out for Biden this year.
“What we see from the Irish vantage point is the elimination of 30,000 lives, disproportionately women and children,” he said of the conflict in Gaza. “What we see is a very well-equipped, well-armed, powerful nation exact revenge on a very beleaguered people.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff hosted Varadkar and partner Matthew Barrett for breakfast at the Naval Observatory on Friday.
Varadkar took part in several events on Thursday, where he told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that the United States should remain open to “good trade agreements” with Ireland. He said Ireland is one of the top 10 investors in the United States.
He continued to voice his support for getting aid to Gaza and support for Ukraine against Russia, whose invasion is now in its second year.
“If Putin is successful in Ukraine, he will at some point test NATO and the consequences then, for all of us, are very serious.”