Taoiseach warns of ‘naivety’ in Ireland around threat posed by Russia

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

There is a “degree of naivety” in Ireland around the threat posed by Russia, the Taoiseach has said.

Micheál Martin made the comment as he arrived for a meeting of the European Political Community in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Thursday.

In recent weeks, European leaders have been alarmed by violations of their airspace by unidentified drones and Russian warplanes.

Several Russian drones breached Poland’s airspace on September 10th, and Nato aircraft were scrambled to intercept and shoot down some of the devices.

Since then, there has been a spate of drone incidents at Danish airports and military bases.

There was a very serious sense of that threat and it seems to me that there's a degree of naivety back in Ireland in respect of that

Speaking to reporters, Mr Martin said: “We had a very serious discussion in terms of the threat that Russia is now posing to the European Union and to European Union member states, and particularly in terms of the violation of the airspace of quite a number of European member states.

“A clear pattern is emerging if you take everything that has happened over the last number of weeks and months, in terms of drone incursions, in terms of maritime activity around cables, in terms of the undermining of political and politics in various member states.

“There was a very serious sense of that threat and it seems to me that there’s a degree of naivety back in Ireland in respect of that.

“Certainly the member states and the eastern European side, the Baltic States in particular, feel this threat and feel it’s existential.”