Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin has arrived at the White House, greeted by US President Donald Trump.
The two leaders are meeting as part of the Irish government’s traditional St Patrick’s Day series of engagements.
Earlier, Martin attended a breakfast hosted by Vice-President JD Vance.
Speaking at the breakfast he said that US “has been a steadfast friend of Ireland for centuries”.
He said the peace process was a “signature achievement of US foreign policy”, adding that Ireland is “ready to play our part in supporting work to end conflict and to secure peace in the Ukraine or in the Middle East or wherever”.
Martin welcomed the “progress that has clearly been made” as a result of the Trump administration’s “unrelenting focus and effort” to secure peace.
Vance described the US-Ireland relationship as “one of the great alliances and great friendships between nations”.
He added that Ireland is a country with “incredibly community… beautiful landscape and also a lot of interesting technological growth”.
“One of the more robust areas for us to work on with our Irish friends in the years to come is going to be technology and particularly artificial intelligence,” he said.
The taoiseach is the first EU leader to return to the Oval Office since the president’s bust-up with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Discussions are expected to cover a broad range of issues, including the deep ties between the US and Ireland, shared global challenges, including the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, as well as the two countries’ economic relationship.
The bilateral meeting comes amid heightened concern over the future of Ireland’s economy, which is heavily reliant on US multinationals.
Trump sees this as a trade imbalance and is keen to entice those companies back to the US.
The taoiseach arrived at the White House hours after the EU announced it will impose counter tariffs on €26 billion ($28bn) worth of US goods from next month.
The move is in retaliation to Trump’s 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the US, which came into effect overnight.
However, Martin said he would use his visit to the Oval Office to highlight an “increasingly two-way” trade and investment relationship.
“Ireland is the sixth-largest source of foreign direct investment in the US, supporting hundreds and thousands of jobs across the US,” he said.
“This substantial investment underscores the commitment of Irish enterprises to the US market and reflects a deepening economic interdependence between the two countries.”
The meeting is also an opportunity for the taoiseach to update Trump on the situation in Northern Ireland, recognising the huge contribution the US has made to securing peace.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill will not be heading to the White House as she is boycotting the St Patrick’s Day festivities there due to Trump’s stance on Gaza.
However, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly will be at the White House reception on Wednesday and is likely to meet Trump.
The two executive ministers led a delegation to North Carolina earlier in the week alongside representatives from Queen’s University Belfast, Invest NI, Catalyst and Software NI.
NI Chamber CEO Suzanne Wylie said the visit was part of a long-term process and they would be inviting a trade mission back to Northern Ireland in the summer from North Carolina.
However, there has been more geopolitical uncertainty this year than last year, including President Trump’s introduction of some tariffs.
She said that while there was uncertainty across the globe right now, “businesses really just want to create the relationships and get on with doing business with each other and continue to look for further investment in some of our innovative companies”.
Speaking to BBC News NI ahead of the meeting between Trump and Martin, Democrat member of the House of Representatives Brendan Boyle said that “what the Trump administration is doing with respect to tariffs makes no economic sense, and it makes no sense in terms of our national security”.
Boyle said that imposing tariffs on Canada suggests that no country is “safe fully from this sort of madness”, including Ireland.
He added that Martin should “remind President Trump that Ireland, despite its small size, is one of the largest investors in the United States and one of the largest job creators in the United States”.
“On the one hand, [Trump] likes to say, you know, we’re the best, he’s the best, He’s the greatest. Everything is a superlative.
“But then in the next breath, he says, we’re suckers, we’re losers, we’re being taken advantage of by every other country.”
Boyle said that Ireland “punches well above its weight” in terms of investment in the United states, and reminding Trump of that “would go a long way”.
This will be the tightest of political tightropes for Micheál Martin.
He’s got a €50bn (£42bn) tax treasure chest to protect and can’t afford any slip ups.
His moment of jeopardy may come when President Trump invites questions from the press.
Pressure points include tariffs and Dublin’s perceived anti-Israel bias.
Luckily for the taoiseach the move towards a ceasefire in Ukraine and the resumption of US military aid may dominate the questions.
Trading relationships and tariffs may be one for another day.
The taoiseach had hoped the move towards a ceasefire in Ukraine and the resumption of US military aid would have dominate the questions
But the EU decision to hit back in the looming tariff war imposing €26bn on US imports could put a strain on discussions in Whitehouse