Donald Trump has somewhat lowered his tone toward Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but without giving up his criticism. In remarks to reporters in Ankara, ahead of the start of the NATO summit, the US president described Meloni as a “very good person,” while publicly reviving his complaint about Italy’s position on the conflict in the Middle East.
What Trump said in Ankara
According to the statement made to the media, Trump was asked about his relations with Giorgia Meloni and gave a two-level answer: warmer in tone, but not in substance.
“She is a very good person. I like her a lot, but I think she made a mistake. She just wasn’t there for us and I didn’t like that,” he said, referring, according to the source material, to Italy’s refusal to support the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
The tensions have not been resolved
The statement comes after weeks of clashes between the two leaders, showing that softer language does not necessarily mean the dispute has been resolved.
On Sunday, Trump posted a manipulated image of Giorgia Meloni on Truth Social, accompanied by the message “Restrictive measures are needed.” Italian authorities, according to reports, chose not to react publicly to the post.
From close ally to a cooled relationship
Earlier, Trump had claimed that Meloni was “not doing well in Italy” and that she was losing citizens’ support. He had also said that the Italian prime minister had asked him to take a photograph together during the G7 summit.
These public statements have added to the questions over the relationship between two figures who until recently were considered among the closest political allies on the US-Europe axis.
NATO as a test for the next contacts
In this climate, the NATO summit in Ankara is expected to serve as ground for new contacts among Alliance leaders, although the main focus remains on Ukraine, the Middle East and relations among allies.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, who is accompanying Meloni at the summit, said that the priority remains preserving transatlantic relations, despite the recent disagreements between Rome and Washington.
For now, the message emerging from Ankara is clear: the rhetoric has softened, but the political clash has not disappeared.
Whether there will be a real rapprochement between Trump and Meloni remains to be seen in the meetings and diplomatic moves of the coming days.