OREANDA-NEWS  Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told the FT that he sees no signs of an immediate maritime threat from the Russian Federation, but the country should do more to monitor the situation.

"The Irish Prime Minister said in an interview with the Financial Times newspaper that, although there are no signs of an immediate threat, his officials "should do more" to monitor the situation," the publication said.

"There are two areas that we are working on with our partners (EU, USA and Britain). One of them is to make sure that (cables and pipelines) are more protected and it is more difficult to sabotage them. And also that we could respond to the threat if it arose," the Irish prime minister said.

As the newspaper notes, Varadkar's statements were made against the background of public debate about whether the position of Ireland's neutrality, which it adhered to even before the Second World War, remains adequate after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine.

In June, Varadkar stated that Ireland would consider cooperation with NATO on the protection of critical underwater infrastructure. At the same time, Varadkar noted that before making a decision on joining any partnership led by the EU or NATO, it will be necessary to study all the details.