ITALIAN Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni heads to Washington for a high-stakes meeting with Donald Trump, aiming to leverage their personal rapport to defuse trade tensions and shield Italy from looming US tariffs on EU goods.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meets Donald Trump Thursday in Washington, hoping a personal charm offensive can help convince the US president to cut a more favourable deal on EU tariffs.
The far-right Meloni — described by Trump as a “fantastic leader” who shares many of his conservative views — is the first European leader to meet Trump since his trade war with the bloc began.
She has looked to maintain ties with the mercurial leader despite the widespread disruption caused by his tariff policies, even while criticizing as “wrong” his 20 per cent duties on EU exports, which he later suspended for 90 days.
Amid the uncertainty, Meloni has called for cool heads, urging Brussels not to retaliate while casting herself as the only EU leader able to potentially de-escalate the conflict through her personal relationship with the US president.
Her bilateral meeting with Trump, scheduled for noon at the White House, does not come without risk, however.
Italian newspapers on Wednesday floated the possibility that Meloni could end up in a trap similar to the White House meeting in February with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump and his Vice-President JD Vance berated their guest in front of reporters.
Meloni has been a staunch ally of Ukraine and Zelensky since Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022, most recently calling Moscow’s Palm Sunday attack on the city of Sumy “horrible and vile”.
The only EU leader to be invited to Trump’s inauguration in January, Meloni has acknowledged the uncertainty weighing on her quick visit.
“We know we’re going through a difficult period, let’s see how it goes in the coming hours. I don’t feel any pressure, as you can imagine, for my next two days, let’s say,” she joked at an awards ceremony for Italian goods Tuesday.
“Surely, I am aware of what I represent and I am aware of what I am defending,” she added. — AFP
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