Meloni and von der Leyen agreed on efforts to resume dialogue with US President Trump - media
Kyiv • UNN
Giorgia Meloni and Ursula von der Leyen discussed transatlantic priorities and resuming dialogue with Donald Trump. They also spoke about support for Ukraine and security.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a telephone conversation on Saturday evening to discuss transatlantic priorities and efforts to resume dialogue with United States President Donald Trump, UNN writes, citing Euractiv.
Details
After attending the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a telephone conversation on Saturday evening, focusing on key transatlantic challenges. The conversation focused on further support for Ukraine, the development of a security system ahead of the NATO summit, and delicate negotiations with the Trump administration on trade tariffs.
The call took place after a brief exchange of views between von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump in the Vatican. This was their first meeting since Trump's return to the White House earlier this year. According to sources close to Meloni, quoted by Corriere della Sera, the Italian prime minister has been working intensively behind the scenes to facilitate this first contact, which she considers "very important".
In the Italian government, this episode is seen as a boost to the role that Meloni is trying to win for herself: recognition as a mediator in the West. The same Palazzo Chigi sources also claim that Meloni is credited with informal negotiations between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in St. Peter's Basilica.
In a social media post, Meloni's Brothers of Italy party called the day "historic," emphasizing the prime minister's role in "advancing solutions to the most delicate issues affecting international relations." The post praised Meloni's diplomatic efforts, which were "carefully and discreetly woven, without seeking to be the center of attention, even when the eyes of the whole world were on Rome - the capital of Christianity, and thanks to our Prime Minister, also world diplomacy."
Ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis, which brought together 170 delegations from around the world, the Italian government clearly ruled out any official meetings between EU officials and Trump, calling such meetings "bad taste" given the solemn nature of the event.
However, both von der Leyen and Trump have expressed their willingness to hold an official meeting in the near future. Meloni, who offered to host an EU-US summit during her visit to Washington last week, hopes it will take place before the NATO summit scheduled for the end of June.
Addition
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni held a meeting in Rome. The focus was on the importance of increasing pressure on Russia and security guarantees.