Premier Giorgia Meloni is in Washington to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday. Talks are expected to focus on tariffs imposed by the American administration. This set a 20% levy on European goods.
Meloni, leader of the right-wing FdI, has friendly ties with Trump and aims to bridge the US and EU. She was the only European leader invited to Trump’s inauguration in January.
While Meloni has criticised the tariffs, she has also urged the EU to avoid retaliation and prevent a trade war. Whilst Meloni is in Washington, she will have lunch with Trump at 12:00 local time. This will be followed by bilateral talks in the Oval Office. A pool of White House and Italian reporters will be present during the meeting.
Meloni has spoken with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in recent days. An EU spokesperson said the two leaders “coordinated the visit”.
In a video message to the General Assembly of the Consortium for the Protection of Grana Padano on Wednesday, Meloni said:
“Our priority has always been to facilitate their access to markets, promote Italian quality and reduce the barriers that hinder our ability to grow.
We will continue in this direction, above all, in this period, which is as complex as it is rapidly evolving, and in which it is necessary to think clearly and work pragmatically.”
