Meloni-Trump bilateral: a bench among the maple trees to negotiate on war, arms and tariffs
Talk on the sidelines of the G7 before the US President's surprise return to Washington.
by our correspondent Barbara Fiammeri
2' min read
Key points
2' min read
A wooden bench among the maple trees in the heart of Alberta was the backdrop for the bilateral meeting between Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni before the US President's surprise return to Washington, not even twenty-four hours after his arrival. Meloni, on the other hand, remained, and today she will draw the conclusions of this summit that has seen the Middle East crisis play a leading role.
Themes of the interview
.With Trump, the PM spoke of "the most recent developments in Iran" and the need to "reopen the path of negotiation", which is also at the heart of the declaration agreed with the other Grandees and which eventually got the green light from the US leader as well. Meloni then went on to insist on the need to push as hard as possible for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Tariffs
Another hot topic at the centre of the talks was tariffs. Trump had a face-to-face meeting with Ursula von der Leyen on this in the afternoon, but they did not go into the substance of the matter, but they did reiterate the willingness of both the US and the EU to reach an agreement before 9 July, when the 50% tariffs on EU products imported into the US will be back in force.
Defence Expenses
.Finally, defence spending. The Palazzo Chigi communiqué makes explicit reference to next week's NATO summit. The agreement on 5 per cent of GDP (3.5 for military expenditure in the strict sense and 1.5 for that intended also for infrastructure) is now established. Meloni, however, aims to spread the financial commitment over a decade and in a flexible manner (i.e. allowing different allocations from year to year) . France is on the same position and the German Chancellor Merz as well as the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer - with each of whom the PM had a bilateral meeting - have expressed their willingness to support her. But it is clear that the decisive factor is the US green light. Palazzo Chigi, however, prefers at the moment to avoid making public the verdict handed down by Trump on Kananastis' bench.
