Giorgia Meloni is set to meet Donald Trump in the White House today, the third time since the start of her premiership. Her visit is of particular significance as she will be the first European leader to sit down with the U.S. president since he initiated a ‘global trade war’ over tariffs. Many pin their hopes on her to serve as a mediator between the American president and the European Union as a whole, based on her good personal relations with Trump. According to Italian defense minister Guido Crosetto, the two will discuss the Middle East as well as Ukraine, “but not arms sales.”
The Italian Prime Minister landed in Washington on Wednesday evening European time, and slept at the state guesthouse, Blair House, ahead of a short official program later today, April 17th.
Photo: Government of Italy (https://www.governo.it/it/media/incontro-con-il-presidente-degli-stati-uniti-d-america-donald-j-trump/28231)
She will be lunching with the U.S. president just after noon (6 p.m. European time), and then will have a one-on-one with Trump in the Oval Office, open to a pool of selected American, Italian and international journalists.
There will be no joint press conference following the meeting, as the two leaders will be answering the reporters’ questions during an Oval Office ‘spray.’
After her meeting concludes, Meloni will be flying back to Italy soon as she is receiving U.S. Vice President JD Vance in the Palazzo Chigi in Rome tomorrow, April 18th.
