Garda anti-drone teams and snipers sprang into action for surprise US-Ukraine talks

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Garda and Defence Forces sniper teams, as well as anti-drone professionals, worked alongside US and Ukrainian security personnel. The meeting, which took place at short notice at…

A rapid-reaction security force was assembled and put in place to secure a meeting in Dublin between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and US envoys on Thursday night.

Garda and Defence Forces sniper teams, as well as anti-drone professionals, worked alongside US and Ukrainian security personnel.

The meeting, which took place at short notice at the Air Corps Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, was between Zelenskiy and US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said 200 Garda personnel were on anti-drone duties, and had equipment capable of taking drones out of the skies. Some were diverted to Baldonnel for the US-Ukraine meeting, which was not known about in advance, while the Defence Forces also had an anti-drone capability on site.

“It came at very short notice, we weren’t aware of it,” Kelly said of the meeting. “But part of our planning for these [European] meetings was that we would have contingencies in place and be ready to deal with dynamic situations like this. Of course, we had to get President Zelenskiy out there, to work out the timing, to meet the two US envoys.

“We secured the location. There was a significant security operation there, around counter-drone and sniper teams, close protection teams, tactical teams in place. We also worked very closely with US colleagues and Ukrainian security personnel.”

[ Ukraine dominates agenda as Europe’s leaders attend EPC summit in DublinOpens in new window ]

Zelenskiy arrived in Dublin on Wednesday night and attended the European Political Community (EPC) meeting in the Convention Centre on Thursday.

Kushner and Witkoff flew into Baldonnel on Thursday evening, from Moscow, after a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

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