‘She was a good person, but she made a mistake’: Trump says relationship with Meloni ‘soured’ over Iran war
President of the United States Donald Trump Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni was described on Tuesday as a “good person” but criticized for refusing to support the United States during the conflict with Iran, marking the latest escalation in a tense diplomatic rift between the two leaders.“She refused to get involved, so my relationship with her kind of soured. But I like her. I think she’s actually a good person. But I think she made a mistake,” Trump told reporters in Turkey for a NATO summit.The dispute dates back to March, when Italy refused to allow U.S. military aircraft bound for the Middle East to land at Sigonella air base in Sicily, saying Washington failed to obtain prior authorization from the government in Rome.Meloni was once considered one of Trump’s closest European allies, and relations further soured last month after Trump told Italian television channel La7 that she “begged” him for a photo during the G7 summit in France. Italy’s prime minister denied the claims and accused the U.S. president of fabricating the story.She also publicly criticized Trump this year for attacking Pope Leo after he condemned the war with Iran. In response, Trump rebuked Italian leaders for refusing to support efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital sea lane effectively blocked by Iran following the U.S.-Israeli attack.Trump’s new comments came after he was asked about a post he shared on The Truth Society over the weekend that included a photo of Meloni looking up at him with the caption “Restraining Order Needed.” The post reignited tensions ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, where the two leaders are expected to meet.The Italian government declined to respond publicly to Trump’s latest comments, with ministers saying they did not want to further escalate tensions and risk damaging bilateral ties.“Trump speaks for himself. We have an American president who likes to be provocative, especially on social media. We have decided to stop responding to these remarks,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told La Stampa on Tuesday.Meloni’s office also declined to comment on how she would handle her meeting with Trump in Ankara. However, an unnamed source close to the Prime Minister dismissed suggestions that she might be snubbing the US leader, saying she knew how to handle the situation and would likely greet him “with a smile”.(Information provided by Reuters)
