Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni is set to meet U.S. president Donald Trump on Thursday, April 16th, at a time of growing EU-U.S. tensions. The European Union’s exclusion from Ukraine peace negotiations and hiked tariffs on its goods destined for America are likely to feature in their talks.
Meloni faces domestic pressure to bolster Italy’s exports, which enjoyed a $45.4 billion (€40 billion euro) trade surplus with the U.S. While Trump likes Meloni—previously describing her as a “real live wire” following a Paris meeting of global leaders in December—the visit could test her reputation as a bridge between Brussels and the present administration in Washington.
