Taoiseach Micheál Martin has accused Sinn Féin of "engaging in politics" over its decision not to travel to Washington DC.
Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill said they will not travel to the White House to meet US President Donald Trump next month, specifically in protest at his comments and policy on Gaza.
Reiterating his intention to travel for the traditional St Patrick’s Day visit to the White House, Mr Martin said he had a responsibility to the country and that the clear message from him and his EU colleagues, as well as those in Canada, Norway and Iceland, is the desire to continue to engage with the US administration both politically and with the president, which is very important.
He said the economic relationship between the EU and the US, and Ireland and the US is an extremely important and robust one.
"Many Irish companies create thousands of jobs in the US - and many US companies create jobs in Ireland - it’s a two-way street but a very significant relationship and we have a relationship to protect the livelihoods of people in this country and to engage and discuss and profile the level of Irish investment in the US," he said.
From an Irish perspective, open free trade is the optimum objective because it helps to grow the Irish economy, he said.
Mr Martin said: "Ireland takes that opportunity too to give our perspective on the Middle East and how we see the peace process emerging there in terms of consolidation of the ceasefire, and a massive surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and create a political pathway to a two-state solution."
In terms of Ukraine, Mr Martin said there is also the need to engage with the US.
He said there was a productive meeting yesterday between the US Envoy Keith Kellogg and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and that there will be further engagement between European leaders and the US in respect of the unfolding situation in Ukraine.
Sinn Féin travel to US would have been 'untenable' - Green Party
Meanwhile, Green Party leader and TD for Dublin West Roderic O’Gorman said that he was not surprised by Sinn Féin’s decision not to travel to Washington next month.
He said it would have been "untenable" for the party to travel in light of its stance on Gaza.
"I think probably the decision of the SDLP a couple of weeks ago would have put real pressure on them in terms of the contrast that that would have created if Sinn Féin were to go and the SDLP weren’t to go."
Mr O’Gorman said the position of the Taoiseach differed from the Sinn Féin leader as the Taoiseach speaks on behalf of the country.
Mr O'Gorman said engagement even with those you "fundamentally disagree with" was important.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe echoed those sentiments earlier, saying it is "absolutely appropriate and indeed necessary" for the Taoiseach to attend St Patrick's Day events at the White House.
"If there was ever a time for dialogue and engagement, if there was ever a time for trying to reach across divides, it's now," the Fine Gael TD said.
"If you look at the fact that [French] President [Emmanuel] Macron is going to be engaging directly with President Trump in the coming days, the reality that other European leaders will be doing the same, it's absolutely appropriate, and indeed necessary, that our Taoiseach does that too," he said.
Sinn Féin decision is short-sighted - DUP
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said Sinn Féin's decision was "short-sighted" and "reckless".
He confirmed his party would be represented in the US capital next month.
"While there will always be differences of opinion on policy matters, Sinn Féin's decision to disengage from an important diplomatic and economic opportunity is both short-sighted and counterproductive. It also doesn't align with being a so-called 'First Minister for All'.
"The United States is a key economic partner for Northern Ireland. Turning away from that relationship, particularly at a time when we need continued international support, is a reckless move that does nothing to advance the interests of people and businesses in Northern Ireland," he said.
We are not living through normal times with US - SDLP
The Sinn Féin move follows a similar announcement by the SDLP in recent weeks.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime programme today, SDLP leader Claire Hanna said she was pleased there was a growing acceptance that "we are not living through particularly normal times with the US".
She said that US foreign policy required a political reaction, particularly from opposition parties.
She said that the SDLP’s position had been previously maligned by Sinn Féin and others as "tokenism" and "student union politics".
"We were also very clear we were trying not to make it a political football, you know, the issue of Gaza in general but specifically that decision..."
Ms Hanna said her party was not disavowing the United States but said St Patrick’s Day was a celebration of Ireland and the values of the island.
"I think people on this island have made their views very, very clear and their fears and their hopes for the people of Palestine..."
