Simon Harris and Donald Trump agree to ‘keep in touch’ in call covering Middle East and Ukraine conflicts

Taoiseach Simon Harris spoke to incoming US president Donald Trump in a phone call on Monday when two men discussed the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
The Taoiseach congratulated Mr Trump on his victory in the US presidential election last week. It is understood they also discussed links between the US and Ireland.
Mr Trump, who owns a golf hotel in Doonbeg, Co Clare, will be inaugurated as US president on January 20th next year.
Mr Harris later told reporters he had congratulated Mr Trump on his “clear election win”.
He said he had wished Mr Trump well as he began the process of assembling his new team and the transition to a new administration.
“We also agreed to keep in touch,” Mr Harris said.
The Taoiseach said the US president-elect conveyed his best wishes to the people of Ireland.
“We did discuss that Ireland is a good economic location and that Ireland’s economy is doing well. He spoke fondly of his experience in doing business in Ireland.”
The Taoiseach said he told Mr Trump that the EU and the US needed to work together on so many issues – economic and humanitarian, and in bringing peace to the world.
The Taoiseach said he had proposed in Brussels previously that there should be a EU-US trade summit.
Mr Harris said his conversation with Mr Trump lasted about 20 minutes. He said Mr Trump had spoken about visiting Ireland on several occasions previously and that he hoped to do so again.
Senior Government leaders last week congratulated Mr Trump on his victory in the US election, but the result was described as “devastating” and a “disaster” by Labour leader Ivana Bacik.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said: “We look forward to working with him and his new administration in a constructive manner, as we did during his previous administration.”
President Michael D Higgins also wrote to Mr Trump, highlighting the close ties between the two countries.
“As we begin the next century of diplomatic relations between our two countries, we will continue to build our relationship on the solid and mutually beneficial ground that our people have nurtured for the last 100 years,” the president wrote to Mr Trump.
Mr Higgins identified food security, climate change and multiple international conflicts as pressing global issues. In 2019, in advance of a visit by Mr Trump to Ireland, the president criticised the then US president’s record on climate change as “regressive and pernicious”.