U.S. President Donald Trump said that while he still considers Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a "nice person," he is disappointed that Italy did not support the U.S. in addressing the conflict with Iran, which he said caused their relationship to "worsen slightly."
Trump spoke to reporters during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, saying, "My relationship with her has started to go a little sour because she refused to help us with Iran. She chose not to get involved in that matter, so our relationship has cooled down a bit. But I still like her. I think she's genuinely a nice person, but I just feel she made a mistake on this issue."
These remarks mark the latest development in a diplomatic dispute between the two leaders that has become more evident over recent months, despite Meloni previously being seen as one of Trump's closest European allies. She was the only European leader to attend Trump's presidential inauguration in 2025.
Their relationship began to weaken last month after Trump told Italian television that Meloni had "asked" him to take a photo together during the G7 summit in France. Meloni outright denied this and countered that Trump made up the story.
Previously, Meloni criticized Trump for attacking Pope Leo over his condemnation of the war with Iran, while Trump responded by blaming the Italian government for not supporting U.S. efforts to secure shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
In March, the Italian government denied permission for a U.S. military plane to land at the Sigonella Air Base on Sicily en route to the Middle East, citing that the U.S. had not requested authorization in advance according to protocol.
Shortly before the NATO summit, Trump sparked criticism again by posting a photo of Meloni on Truth Social with the caption "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED," which was viewed as a jab and further strained relations between the two leaders.
However, the Italian government chose not to respond to Trump's latest remarks. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the government does not wish to escalate the conflict as it could affect bilateral relations, adding, "Trump likes to provoke, especially on social media, and Italy has decided not to reply to such comments anymore."
A source close to Prime Minister Meloni revealed that she has no plans to avoid meeting Trump during the Ankara summit and believes she can handle the situation appropriately, possibly greeting the U.S. leader "with a smile" to avoid increasing diplomatic tension.
. . . (source) . . .Reuters