Tánaiste Micheál Martin has rejected comments by former DUP leader Arlene Foster that US President Joe Biden "hates the UK".
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Martin said he was "very surprised" by Ms Foster's comments and the word hate is not something he would associate with President Biden.
Mr Martin said it was wrong for Ms Foster to suggest that, as Mr Biden often references his British heritage and his grand-uncle who served in the British navy.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
After Ms Foster's comments, the White House also insisted Mr Biden is not anti-British.
Speaking to the GB News channel on Tuesday, Ms Foster that there was no doubt that Mr Biden "hates the United Kingdom".
Mr Biden, who is intensely proud of his Irish ancestry, was also criticised by senior DUP MP Sammy Wilson who claimed the president "has got a record of being pro-republican, anti-unionist, anti-British".
Mr Martin said President Biden worked "strongly" with the British government on global issues, such as Ukraine and COP26.
The Tánaiste said the US president also has a "clear personal investment" in peace on the island of Ireland. This, he said, was evident during his visit to Co Louth on Wednesday, as "peace is not an abstract for border counties and a reality and tangible gain for those in the North".
Mr Martin added: "With all that's happening in the world today, war in Ukraine and climate change existential challenge, the sense of nations being committed to a value system is very important. He focused a lot on values and peace."
In his address to the Oireachtas yesterday, Mr Biden said that "peace is precious" and suggested the UK should be working more closely with Ireland to support Northern Ireland.
Mr Martin said that he takes President Biden's message as "one of everyone to work closely together".
He added there had been a closer engagement so far with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Northern Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, but said it "can get closer".
He said: "In many ways, we have to double down and reignite that spirit that gave rise to the Good Friday Agreement."
Discussing the restoration of Stormont, he said that there was a lot of speculation, but President Biden got "the balance right in his speech".
"The people of Northern Ireland want the institutions back, of that I am clear," Mr Martin said.
There were foundations for real interaction as "US public representatives are committed to Ireland and to the relationship with Ireland and America", he added.
Mr Martin also discussed the issue of undocumented Irish people in the US and said the issue needs to be resolved "once and for all".
