Aysu Biçer
16 June 2026•Update: 16 June 2026
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump held a "clarification meeting" on the sidelines of the G7 summit, according to Italian media, following months of tensions between the two leaders.
The sources told Italian TV SkyTG24 on Tuesday that the discussion at Monday night's leaders' dinner was "one" of several opportunities for talks during the summit and described it as a "useful exchange."
During the meeting, Meloni reaffirmed "the principle of Western unity, which is absolutely necessary in this time of major international crisis."
Italian officials said the exchange served "to clarify matters" while stressing that the prime minister "is not asking for any communication signals" from the American president.
The report, citing Italian diplomatic sources, said that in recent months "Meloni had shown some clarity regarding some of President Trump's public statements," and "both parties made it clear how important the concept of unity, which the prime minister always insists on and truly believes in," is at this stage.
The talks come after a period of strain in relations between the two leaders, who had previously been considered close political allies.
Meloni was the only European leader invited to attend Trump's inauguration last year.
However, tensions emerged after Italy had refused permission for some US aircraft bound for the Middle East to use the Sigonella Air Base in Sicily.
At the same time, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly expressed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, describing conditions there as “unacceptable” amid the ongoing Israeli genocide that began in October 2023 and has also spoken out against the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Trump responded on April 12 by describing the pope as "weak and terrible on foreign policy."
Meloni entered the dispute the following day, saying Trump's remarks about the pope were "unacceptable."
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on April 14, Trump then sharply criticized one of Washington's closest allies in Europe.
The US president said he was "shocked" that Meloni "doesn't want to help us in the war” against Iran.
