Foreign minister insists transatlantic bond “transcends individual presidents” after Rome’s refusal to back Trump’s Iran war strained relations with Washington.
There is no rift between Italy and the United States, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday. He dismissed suggestions that Rome’s refusal to support Donald Trump’s war against Iran had damaged relations between the two allies.
The comments come after weeks of public friction between Trump and Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose once-friendly relationship has cooled sharply since Italy declined to let American bombers use the Sigonella air base in Sicily during the Iran conflict in March.
“No rift,” says Tajani
Tajani, who is also deputy premier, said frank disagreement between allies was nothing unusual. “There has been no ‘rift’ with the US. It is natural for allies to have frank discussions on international crises,” he said.
“Transatlantic relations remain the cornerstone of our security: even more so at a time when our strategic adversaries are confident in the West’s growing fragility.”
He pointed to last month’s NATO summit in Ankara as evidence the alliance was strengthening rather than fracturing.
“The NATO summit in Ankara confirmed this: we are not facing a rift, but rather in the midst of a necessary discussion on how to strengthen the Alliance in the future.”
The relationship between Rome and Washington, he added, did not depend on who occupied the White House. “Our relationship with the United States is independent of individual presidents and is so consolidated, based on such profound shared values and interests, that it allows us to manage every moment of frank discussion constructively.”
Tajani cited new areas of cooperation as proof of the partnership’s health, including the recent “Pax Silica” declaration signed with Washington to unite like-minded countries around the security of advanced semiconductor supply chains and the development of artificial intelligence.
“These are the guiding principles of the Italy-US partnership today: pragmatism, increased trade, and a collaboration that looks straight to the future.”
A friendship turned frosty
Tajani’s intervention follows a difficult few months for Meloni, who told the New York Times last Friday that she had expected common ground with Trump over shared positions on migration and opposition to “woke culture” to make their relationship easier. In the long run, she said, it had not worked out that way.
Meloni was the only EU leader invited to Trump’s inauguration, and he has previously called her “beautiful”. But the goodwill soured after Italy stayed out of the Iran war, with Trump saying Italy “did very bad” with its decisions on the use of its bases.
