Trump reiterates his accusations against Italy. Meloni: ‘The row must not affect relations with the US’
The annual general meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Italia – which took place yesterday in Milan – provided a forum for reassuring the business community. Political tensions have not affected the economic ties between the two countries, which, according to President Stefano Lucchini, are ‘capable of overcoming any difficulty’
Key points
Donald Trump reiterated his accusations against Italy and other NATO allies. “Italia has behaved very badly,” said the US President in the Oval Office. He then turned to the allies and said: “They haven’t been there for us, and we’ve spent billions of dollars on them.”
Yet the spat with Donald Trump must not jeopardise relations between the Italian government and the United States. This is the message that Giorgia Meloni is said to have emphasised during the Council of Ministers, inviting ministers to attend the reception on 2 July at the US Embassy to mark Independence Day. The tensions of recent days must be managed, not escalated. And Ambassador Tilman Fertitta ‘has always been extremely helpful and professional towards us’.
The Forum in Miami has been cancelled
This development comes after a difficult week. Trump had attacked Meloni with words described by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as ‘serious and offensive’, triggering a chain reaction. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had cancelled his visit to the United States, scheduled for 21 and 22 June.
Consequently, the Italy-US Business Forum scheduled to take place in Miami had also been cancelled; this event was designed to boost exports and investment between the two countries and was due to see Tajani meet with Senator Marco Rubio. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had subsequently promised to keep “businesses and trade associations informed about future bilateral economic partnership initiatives”.
Attempts to mend relations
Efforts are now being made to get the relationship back on track. Meloni herself is said to have closely followed the visit to Washington by the Fratelli d’Italia delegation to the European Parliament: Carlo Fidanza, head of the delegation, and Antonella Sberna, Vice-President of the European Parliament, are due to visit the US capital next week as part of an external meeting of the ECR Group’s Bureau, with meetings already scheduled with members of Congress and representatives of the Trump administration.
