Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has sought to ease tensions with United States President Donald Trump by stating that she maintains “cordial relations” with him. She made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking to Italian reporters at the NATO summit in Turkey.

Her comments followed weeks of strained exchanges between the two leaders. The dispute began after Trump claimed that Meloni had “begged” him for a photograph during the G7 summit in Evian, France. Meloni firmly rejected the allegation, which led Italy’s foreign minister to cancel a planned visit to Washington.

Hours before Meloni’s statement, Trump described her as a “nice person” during a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. He acknowledged that their relationship had deteriorated over Italy’s refusal to support US military efforts against Iran.

Trump said, “I think she’s a nice person; actually, we’ve had a good week. We had a bad relationship. It became a little bad because she refused to help us again.” He added that while he did not exert “heavy press” on Meloni to provide assistance, Italy’s refusal had “soured” their relationship “a little bit.”

The remarks came shortly after Trump posted a photograph with Meloni on Truth Social, captioned “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED.” This public message intensified the perception of discord between the two leaders.

The disagreement marked a sharp shift from their previously cordial ties. Trump has also criticised several NATO allies, including Italy, for declining to back US military operations against Iran despite longstanding American security commitments.

Despite these exchanges, Italy remains a key ally of the United States within NATO. Meloni has repeatedly emphasised that bilateral ties between the two countries transcend the personalities of individual leaders. She has said, “These relationships don’t begin or end because of who happens to be in power at a particular moment. Foreign policy is more complex than that.”

Her remarks underline the resilience of institutional alliances even when personal disputes arise. The episode illustrates the fragility of leader-to-leader relations but also the enduring strength of strategic partnerships between nations.

ANI