Meloni: ready to increase military spending, but on our own terms and in our own way

She doesn’t respond to the meme by Donald Trump regarding the need for a “restraining order” against her, treating her as though she were a stalker to be kept at a distance. And she reaffirms the “political investment” made “in the unity of the West”. She assures that Italia is intent on “honouring its commitments” regarding defence spending, but “in a sustainable manner, with us setting the timetable, methods and priorities according to the context”. Italy will also continue to supply military equipment to Kyiv. And it is not changing its stance on refusing to grant the use of military bases for US attacks on Iran. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke on a wide range of issues at the press conference following the NATO summit in Ankara.

For weeks now, the line taken by Palazzo Chigi has been clear: do not respond blow for blow to the tycoon’s outbursts. Meloni has not commented on US President Donald Trump’s latest post. “I said I would not return to this subject, and I will not return to this subject,” she states emphatically. But when asked whether she regrets the political investment she made in her relationship with Donald Trump, she replies: “I do not regret anything I have done. I made that political investment out of a conviction in the unity of the West. It is not a strategy I adopted with Trump’s arrival, but one I apply to all the people I have dealt with.’ With Trump, ‘there are similarities,’ she acknowledges, ‘from immigration to “woke” culture, so I thought it might be easier. Things are turning out as we’ve seen, but I’m not changing my mind about what’s in Italia’s best interests, because the choices I make aren’t short-sighted, dictated by electoral considerations.” He adds: “In my view, the national interest of both Italia and Europe lies in unity and in strengthening Western unity.”

 There has been no change in policy regarding the use of military bases in Italia – starting with Sigonella – for US attacks on Iran, despite Trump’s repeated disappointment on the matter (“Italia has been terrible”). “We have had a very clear stance since the start of the conflict in Iran and we are maintaining that stance. We have honoured our commitments, as serious nations always do; having said that, we stated that we would not take part in the attacks on Iran, we are not taking part in the attacks on Iran and we will not take part in the attacks on Iran.” Meloni said she was “very concerned” about the resurgence of attacks in Iran because “so far, the military option has not yielded such concrete results”, adding that she was convinced of the need “to emphasise the capacity and possibility of negotiation”.

 Meloni pointed out that Italia attended this NATO summit ‘with 2.8 per cent of its GDP invested in defence and security, representing an increase of 0.71 per cent compared with the previous year’. This increase is linked primarily to the security component (core expenditure on armaments stands at 2.1 per cent), understood as a ‘broader domain’ that includes expenditure on the protection of critical infrastructure and supply chains, on cyber security, on energy security, border protection, and even emergency response. These are all fundamental aspects because ‘they have a direct impact on the freedom, prosperity, growth and quality of life of our citizens and communities’. In short, the point is not just ‘how much we invest’ but ‘what we invest’ in ‘defence and security’.

Meloni is well aware that she is bound by a commitment to increase spending to 5 per cent by 2035. But she makes it clear: “We want to honour our commitments, but we want to do so in a sustainable way, setting our own timetable, methods and priorities based on the context and our capabilities.” Without taking resources away “from other areas that I consider equally important”, such as healthcare. No specific figures were mentioned for the coming years, although the Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, who was also present in Ankara alongside Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, has announced the intention to approve, in the next budget, additional defence investments totalling 19 billion between 2027 and 2028. The issue, however, remains a sensitive one: some sections of the ruling coalition, starting with the Lega, are lukewarm on the matter. Not only that. We have already entered a long election campaign and the issue of military spending is considered unpopular.