Trump opens up to Europe after meeting with Meloni: ‘Agreement on duties close’

Meeting at the White House between the Italian premier and the US president. Meloni gets an opening for a summit with the European Union to avoid new tariffs. Ukraine and bilateral relations also on the table

Meeting at the White House between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: the focus of the bilateral was the issue of tariffs, but also the war in Ukraine and transatlantic relations.

The most significant result obtained by the Italian Prime Minister is Trump’s openness to the possibility of also meeting with the leaders of the European Union, on the occasion of the official visit that the American President himself has agreed to make to Italy. A step that could prove decisive in averting the introduction of new trade tariffs, already announced but for the time being suspended, which would hit the European economy and Made in Italy in particular hard.

‘Prime Minister Meloni is doing a fantastic job, it is an honour to have her here. Everyone loves and respects her, you cannot say that about so many people. She has become a friend,’ Trump said at the end of the talks in the Oval Office. ‘We talked about trade, she is a very special person,’ he added, confirming a positive and relaxed atmosphere.

Meloni welcomed the compliments, but was keen to stress the importance of the political objective: ‘Today we shared our efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. But we also worked to reopen a constructive channel between the US and Europe on the trade front. The agreement on tariffs can be done, 100 per cent’.

An opening that the Prime Minister was also able to build with a series of informal and off-schedule passages, dampening tension and insisting on the strategic value of the transatlantic bond.

On the war in Ukraine, both leaders reiterated their support for Kiev. ‘There has been an invasion and the invader is Putin,’ Meloni said. Trump responded with his usual more critical approach: ‘I don’t blame Zelensky, but I’m not a fan. Russia is much bigger, if you are smart you don’t get dragged into war. If I had been president, the war would not have broken out’.

The meeting with Trump, beyond the ritual declarations, strengthens the Italian premier’s international profile and opens a direct channel with Washington on the crucial issue of trade relations between the United States and Europe.

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