A war of words has erupted between Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Donald Trump after the U.S. President told Italian media that Meloni “begged” to take a photograph with him at the G7 summit earlier this week.
Meloni, once a close ally of Trump, issued a strongly worded rebuke, saying she was “astonished” by the President's comments, which she described as entirely fabricated.
"Donald Trump's statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished. I don't know why the President of the United States behaves like this towards his allies: it is not the first time, moreover."
Meloni went on to criticise Trump for what she suggested was a softer approach towards the West’s adversaries.
"I can only say it is disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West and of the United States, whose leaders he instead treats with far greater indulgence," she said.
“There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg."
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced he was cancelling a planned visit to the U.S. next week in response to Trump's remarks.
"The serious and offensive words of President Trump towards Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offend the whole of Italy,” Tajani wrote on X.
Video footage from the G7 summit in France showed Meloni and Trump deep in conversation, sitting side by side on a small sofa.
However, in an interview with La7 television, the U.S. President suggested he had only appeared alongside Meloni out of pity.
"She's probably happy I talked to her. I didn't have to talk to her," Trump was quoted as saying.
"She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn't have taken it, but I felt sorry for her," Trump said, according to La7's translation.
Meloni was once a vocal supporter of Trump and was the only European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025.
Trump initially showered her with praise, calling her at various times in 2024 and 2025 "a fantastic leader and person", "a beautiful young woman", "a very successful politician" and "an inspiration to all".
When Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on the European Union, Meloni distinguished herself by maintaining a conciliatory tone towards the President, arguing that it was more important to keep the Western alliance united against common adversaries.
She also avoided publicly criticising him over his administration’s cuts to military aid for Ukraine in its war with Russia and over his reluctance to put pressure on Israel to end the conflict in Gaza.
However, relations between the two leaders have deteriorated sharply since the U.S. began its war with Iran at the end of February.
Meloni came to the defence of Pope Leo after Trump lashed out at him over his criticism of the conflict, prompting Trump to accuse her of lacking courage.
Meloni also denied U.S. military aircraft carrying weapons for the Iran war access to an airbase in Sicily, saying American authorities had not followed the necessary procedures.
"This was the original sin, in Trump's eyes," said Francesco Galietti of political risk consultancy Policy Sonar.
“In the short term, Galietti said Meloni might benefit domestically from standing up to Trump, who is highly unpopular in Italian opinion polls. But she risks losing a plank of her political narrative ahead of elections due next year,” he said.
"This is like a horrible slap in the face," he said. "It completely jeopardises her strategy that when we hold elections, the Italians will eventually choose her because she is the safest pair of hands."
Yemen's Houthi-run maritime coordination body on Saturday denied reports that it planned to charge commercial ships transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strai...
Apple Pay has launched in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, expanding digital payment services across Central Asia and supporting the region's shift towards ...
China is accelerating the transformation of its agricultural sector through artificial intelligence (AI), smart machinery and advanced breeding techno...
Ukraine targeted a warehouse belonging to Russia’s largest retailer, Wildberries, and an oil refinery overnight, while Moscow said its forces struck a ship carrying military cargo in the Black Sea.
The U.S. military said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran, a two-hour operation that hit dozens of targets. Washington described the strikes as a "powerful response" to Iranian missile attacks targeting U.S. forces in the Middle East a day earlier.
Iran’s army said it targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait with drone attacks. Tehran said the operations were carried out in retaliation for recent U.S. strikes.
Thousands of migrants have crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco, overwhelming border security and prompting local authorities to call for a national emergency and military deployment.
AnewZ travelled across northeastern Syria, where the scars of more than a decade of war remain visible but many believe the country has entered a new chapter.
Thousands of people spent the night on beaches, waiting by fences or wading through the sea in the hope of reaching Europe, as an estimated 49,000 migrants crossed into Spain's enclave of Ceuta in just 24 hours.
Carlos Cordeiro, senior adviser to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, has resigned with immediate effect in protest over proposals to sell a stake in the FIFA World Cup, calling the plan "a bad deal for football."
Ukraine targeted a warehouse belonging to Russia’s largest retailer, Wildberries, and an oil refinery overnight, while Moscow said its forces struck a ship carrying military cargo in the Black Sea.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 31st of July, covering the latest developments.
At least 18 coal miners have been killed and 14 others remain trapped after a powerful methane gas explosion caused part of a mining complex to collapse in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, officials said on Thursday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment