Meloni on the G7 summit in Évian: stable relations with Trump and strategies for Ukraine and EU mediation
The Prime Minister’s press conference at the end of the summit. Mission to Hormuz: the parliamentary vote will simply provide a clearer framework. For Kyiv, a mediator from a ‘middle power’ is needed.
From our correspondent in Évian-les-Bains Manuela Perrone
Key points
- Relationship with Trump ‘unchanged’
- Three cross-cutting messages
- Ukraine: ‘Western unity and resolve’ demonstrated
- EU Mediator? ‘Better to have a representative from a medium-sized country’
- On the mission to Hormuz: a vote in Parliament will only take place once the framework has been finalised
- ‘Fragile’ peace and the warning to Israel
- Vannacci? ‘I think he’s called it a day; he serves the left’
- The defence of the offence of femicide
“A very important summit has just concluded, and I am satisfied with its outcomes.” So said the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at a press conference following the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, emphasising that “we worked well together, achieving a level of consensus that was by no means a foregone conclusion: I believe this is excellent news for everyone. Macron did an excellent job.”
‘Relationship with Trump remains unchanged’
“With Donald Trump,” said the Prime Minister, “I found our relationship unchanged; there was no need to discuss what had happened in recent weeks. We both have strong personalities, we both defend our national interests, and so there is no need to clarify this.” Meloni was keen to point out that the thaw following the frosty period of recent weeks – triggered by the US President’s attacks on her and the Pope – did not come about merely through banter and jokes, but on the basis of a ‘serious’ discussion of the issues at the heart of the summit: “We got straight back to business by discussing what needs to be done in the coming months.”
Three overarching messages
According to Meloni, three overarching messages emerge from the summit: the unity of the group; the ability to engage in dialogue not only amongst the G7 members, but also with the invited partners (Egypt, India, the United Arab Emirates and Kenya); and a focus on the main geopolitical challenges ‘that affect citizens’ lives and the daily lives of millions of people’.
Ukraine: ‘Western unity and resolve’ demonstrated
On Ukraine, for the Prime Minister, the political outcome is clear: the shared commitment to the principle of ‘Western unity and resolve, the most effective tools for creating genuine conditions for negotiation’, which has so far been hampered by the intransigence of Vladimir Putin in the face of the willingness to negotiate repeatedly expressed by Volodymyr Zelensky. This is why it makes all the difference to have agreed, together with the United States, on the need to continue guaranteeing support for Kyiv and to keep the pressure on Moscow high.
EU Mediator? ‘Better to have a representative from a medium-sized power’
Whilst the President of the European Council, António Costa , announced from Évian that the European Union was initiating talks with Moscow, the Prime Minister confirmed that at tomorrow’s and the day after tomorrow’s Council meetings she will put forward once again the proposal for a single EU mediator. On her social media profile, she hinted at her preference: ‘If we want to achieve a result on this issue, I believe it would be very difficult to propose someone from one of the major European countries. A choice of this kind would, in my view, make it harder to reach an agreement. I would therefore look to the medium-sized powers within the European Union.” These words seem to pave the way for an Italian “candidacy” of the Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
