Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump held a “clarification” meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit leaders’ dinner on Monday in the French town of Évian, news agency ANSA reported.
The two leaders had previously clashed publicly after Meloni rebuked Trump for criticizing Pope Leo XIV over his condemnation of the war with Iran, and also due to Italy’s non-participation in the military conflict.
According to sources cited by ANSA, Meloni and Trump engaged in a “useful exchange of ideas” that allowed them to “clear things up,” noting that there will be further opportunities for dialogue during the Évian summit.
The Italian Prime Minister reiterated the core principle that Western unity is “absolutely necessary in this moment of major international crisis,” a sentiment that the sources indicated Trump fully agreed with.
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In recent months, “Meloni had clarified some public statements made by President Trump,” and “both sides made clear how important the concept of unity is,” a principle the Italian Prime Minister always emphasizes.
On Tuesday, before the start of the working lunch at the summit, Meloni exchanged a few words with Trump, as footage provided by Palazzo Chigi showed her approaching the US President while he spoke with Friedrich Merz.
The three were then joined by European Council President António Costa, who joked about the friendship between the Italian Prime Minister and Trump, in a conversation subsequently reported by the ANSA news agency.
“We have always been friends,” Meloni exclaimed, while the American President smiled and ironized that he had been “abandoned,” which Meloni immediately denied with a smile, responding, “No, you were not.”
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Friedrich Merz was also present during this brief moment of lighthearted camaraderie between the political figures.
Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party brings together conservative and radical right-wing figures, was famously the only European leader invited to Trump’s presidential inauguration ceremony last year.
Following the outbreak of the war with Iran on February 28, triggered by US and Israeli strikes against the Islamic Republic, Trump accused Italy of lacking support and claimed that Meloni had changed.
The Italian government’s stance included refusing to grant permission for the United States Armed Forces to utilize a strategic airbase in Sicily for executing their ongoing military operations against Iran. Meloni also irritated Trump by defending Pope Leo XIV, whom Trump had slammed as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” in response to the pontiff’s vocal opposition to the war.
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Meloni recently stated that she had the “courage” to express her true opinion to Trump regarding Iran and the Pope, without being shaken by his negative reaction and the subsequent political rift.
“I did not feel offended by Trump’s words. I believe that courage means saying what you think, even when you disagree,” Meloni stated during a recent press reflection on the diplomatic matter.
“Clearly, this does not mean questioning our historic relationship with the United States. Friends extend a hand, including, and perhaps especially, when they say they disagree,” Meloni concluded.
