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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has reaffirmed that the United States remains a strategic partner for Italy, urging members of her government to avoid individual positions and any form of boycott of official American activities.
During the Council of Ministers meeting, after a preliminary meeting with deputy prime ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini, Meloni addressed the cabinet with a clear message.
"You have all seen my friendly exchange with Trump, but for me this matter is closed. America remains a strategic ally for Italy," she said.
The Prime Minister asked ministers to maintain Italy's traditional approach towards the United States.
"I ask you to avoid individual behavior. We must behave with the US as we have always done. No one should take initiatives to boycott the July 2 event. I also want to emphasize that our relationship with Ambassador Tillman Fertitta is more than good. He has shown himself to be a friend of Italy and our government," Meloni declared.
With this intervention, the Prime Minister aims to end the controversies that have accompanied relations between Rome and Washington in recent days.
The focus is on the US Independence Day celebration, scheduled for July 2 at Villa Taverna, the residence of the US ambassador in Rome. The US embassy has distributed around 2,000 invitations to members of the government, heads of state institutions, majority and opposition parliamentary groups, as well as political leaders.
The debate on the participation of ministers seems to be closed. According to the orientation given by Meloni, government representatives will participate in the event to avoid any political or diplomatic interpretation. Unlike last year, the presence of the Prime Minister herself is not foreseen.
In a statement distributed during the evening, the US Ambassador to Italy, Tillman J. Fertitta, stressed the importance of bilateral relations.
"I recognize that there may be moments of disagreement between the two leaders. What is important is that the relationship between the United States and Italy continues to be a true cooperative partnership between our two countries," he said.
Fertitta added that the US and Italy have long been important partners for each other and that it has been a pleasure to work with the Italian people on economic, political and defense issues.
Efforts to normalize relations continue at the political level. Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida announced that he will participate in both the international "Fancy Food" fair in New York and the July 2 celebration at Villa Taverna.
"The United States and Italy are bound by deep values of friendship, as our President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, has often recalled," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, two of the League's most important figures, are also expected to attend Villa Taverna.
However, the main attention is focused on the NATO summit to be held on July 7 and 8 in Ankara. A meeting between Giorgia Meloni and Donald Trump is expected there, after strong verbal clashes in recent days.
Also in Turkey will be Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who has scheduled a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The controversies between Meloni and Trump have attracted international attention, especially since the debates have been conducted publicly through social media.
Meanwhile, the Italian Parliamentary Committee for the Security of the Republic (Copasir) aims to examine whether networks linked to Russian propaganda have contributed to amplifying the conflict, with the aim of highlighting divisions within the West.
The committee will also examine the case of an artificial intelligence-manipulated photo of a fake selfie of Meloni and Trump during the G7 summit. The photo was published on social media by 5-Star Movement MP Marco Pellegrini.
On the other hand, the secretary of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, urged the government to move "from social media posts to concrete actions," criticizing its stance on international politics.
After discussing relations with the US, the Council of Ministers approved the draft decree on infrastructure, which includes 14 articles related to public projects, the high-speed rail line (TAV), and financing the decarbonization of the steel industry.
Later in the day, Meloni held a meeting for about 30 minutes with Roberto Cingolani, the former CEO of Leonardo. Italian media reports that his name is being considered for the leadership of the National Agency for Nuclear Energy.
The Prime Minister is expected to meet Cingolani again in September, with the hope that by then the tensions with Donald Trump will be left behind.
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