The Minister for Defence Helen McEntee has said that "everything went according to plan" during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Ireland.
Speaking at the British-Irish Council in Wales, Ms McEntee said that she would not comment on security matters, but said that a significant security operation was in place in order to facilitate a "hugely successful visit".
It followed concern being raised over the presence of drones in Irish skies on the night Mr Zelensky arrived in Ireland.
Mr Zelensky landed at Dublin Airport for his first official visit to Ireland shortly before 11pm on Monday night.
It is understood that crew on board the Naval vessel LÉ William Butler Yeats spotted several unidentified drones which were not for civilian use, north of Dublin.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) had implemented a no-fly zone for drones over and around Dublin to coincide with Mr Zelensky's visit.
Ms McEntee would not be drawn on whether she was briefed on who was responsible for the drones.
Asked if it highlighted gaps in Ireland's security and defence capabilities ahead of Ireland's assuming the EU Presidency, Minister McEntee said that "everything went according to plan" during Mr Zelensky's visit, adding that there is also a new national development plan which increases funding for the Defence Forces by "more than half".
"I'm committed as minister to making sure that money is spent, that money is invested in our Air Corps, in our Naval services, in our Defence Forces on the ground that are developing our technology, whether it's sonar or radar," added Ms McEntee.
No point in drone-free zone if it cannot be enforced - retired Lieut Col
Retired Air Corps Lieutenant Colonel and airport security and safety auditor Kevin Byrne said there is "no point" in having a drone-free zone if it cannot be enforced.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with David McCullagh programme, he described the situation as "sinister".
"It's remarkably sinister to have four of these, perhaps five, flown from either off the coast or perhaps on land, and having it done by malign actors who are with us here in the Republic of Ireland is not good news at all," he said.
"The one thing we do need to do is capture one of these things and see where it came from."
Mr Byrne said incidents such as this should not be taken lying down and would continue to happen "again and again" unless stopped.
