Drones that appeared near Dublin shortly after the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week were not a threat to his aircraft but the incident is very concerning, Ireland’s prime minister said on Wednesday.
A small number of unidentified drones were observed in the vicinity of a naval service vessel patrolling off the coast of Dublin on the evening of Zelenskiy’s arrival for a state visit, prime minister Micheal Martin told parliament.
"The drones were not a threat to President Zelenskiy's aircraft - that needs to be clear - because it had safely landed quite some time prior to this incident," said Martin. He did not directly address Irish media reports that the drones were flying close to Zelenskiy’s flight path.
"Circumstances are suggestive of this being part of a Russian-inspired hybrid campaign against European Union and Ukrainian interests," Martin added. A spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Dublin said suggestions Russia was involved were baseless and that European politicians were promoting a "myth" about the threat Russia posed to Europe.
Drone flights, the origin of which are mostly unknown, have disrupted airspace operations in several European countries in recent months.
European Council President Antonio Costa on a visit to Dublin on Tuesday described last week’s incident as, "another example of the hybrid attacks from Russia."
Ireland, which is militarily neutral, has one of the lowest levels of defence spending in Europe, but has vowed to increase that and Martin has outlined plans to invest in anti-drone technology. "It is very clear there is a security threat to Ireland," he said.
The government is "fully confident" it can protect European leaders due to attend a summit during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of next year, Martin said on Tuesday.
(Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Nia Williams)
