Niall O'Connor Reporting from Munich.

THE IRISH FOREIGN Affairs minister has said Ireland disagrees with Marco Rubio’s comments earlier in which he claimed there was a “climate change cult”. 

Helen McEntee, who is also Defence Minister, was speaking to The Journal today in Munich as she attended meetings.

This morning Marco Rubio gave a speech to the conference during which he criticised policies focused at solving climate change. 

In his comments he attacked countries that implemented laws and measures to deal with the problem.

“This even as other countries have invested in the most rapid military buildup in all of human history, and have not hesitated to use hard power to pursue their own interests to appease a climate cult.

“We have imposed energy policies on ourselves that are impoverishing our people, even as our competitors exploit oil and coal and natural gas and anything else, not just to power their economies, but to use as leverage against our own,” he said. 

In response Helen McEntee, said she noted that the speech was more “conciliatory” to  JD Vance’s address last year but said that while there are many things the Irish Government agree with the US on, the climate change issue is not one of them. 

“There was very clearly conflict still there, I mean, he talked about climate change as though it was not real.

“You only have to look at home and see people’s cars underwater in the last week in Ireland to know that the environment is changing and that we do need to step up.

“I think there will be a fundamental difference when it comes to our approach there,” she said. 

During his speech Rubio spoke about working with European countries committed to defending themselves.

When asked if she felt that would exclude Ireland, given it’s poorly resourced military, she said that she recently visited the US for talks on the topic and that was not identified as a problem.

“No, I wouldn’t say that at all. Last week, when I was in Washington, I met Andrew Baker [Trump national security advisor], and our focus was on security, and I updated him on what Ireland is doing.

“I think for most people, it’s very welcome that we’re increasing our capital budget at 55%, it’s welcome that our current budget increased by over 40%, it’s welcome that for myself and the government that we are planning to do more and to work with people more.

“I think that makes us welcome and not just by the US, but by everybody that I engage with and I’m speaking with, and we are already doing that,” she added. 

Marco Rubio walks past a mural of an elephant in the room where he delivered his speech. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The Minister said that Ireland needs to be more ambitious in defence.

McEntee said in her meetings that she was discussing Ireland’s plans for increasing it’s security capability. 

“It’s very clear that there are real and current threats that we’re not immune from.

“I’ve had bilateral meetings [in Munich] with European counterparts, EU member states, and with people outside of the EU as well. I’ve met with organisations like UNWRA and will be meeting the UN later on.

“And really, this is a way for me to show how committed Ireland is as well, but also to forge stronger partnerships and show that we want to work closer together with our allies and with our friends,” she said. 

The Minister said that she is hopeful in regard to the US Government’s relationship with the EU after a visit to Washington DC last week.

“Given Rubio’s speech and maybe some of the other speeches at the same time, that’s clear that there’s work that needs to be done on some of our more traditional relationships.

“That’s my focus as well, because I was in Washington last week, and it’s clear, I think it was a very similar sentiment from those that I met, be it in the administration or the legislature, that there are challenges, but the relationship between the EU and the US is an absolutely essential one. So you can see that then reflected in the conference here today as well,” she said.