Visit of Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Defence to Warsaw - April 2026

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence Helen McEntee visited Warsaw on 27 April.

The visit took place ahead of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2026, and was a valuable opportunity to discuss the key challenges facing Europe.

The Minister met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski, to discuss Ireland’s priority areas of security, competitiveness and values. Minister McEntee set out Ireland’s strong support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. Deputy Prime Minister Sikorski and Minister McEntee also welcomed the strong bilateral relationship between Ireland and Poland, including the large Polish diaspora in Ireland, and growing trade and investment.

With Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Minister discussed the situation in Lebanon, where Irish and Polish soldiers are serving together in UNIFIL. They also discussed the need for greater investment in security and defence in Europe, and the potential for greater cooperation.

Minister McEntee also had a meeting with Irish companies operating in Poland and Enterprise Ireland. Minister McEntee heard about the growing trade and investment between Ireland and Poland, and set out some of the priorities of Ireland’s EU Presidency, including our goal of simplifying EU regulation.

As part of the visit, the Minister visited the POLIN Museum, where she laid a wreath at the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes.