Europe Watches Closely As Italy’s Meloni To Meet Trump Amid Tense Tariff Disputes

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is scheduled to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, a much-anticipated meeting amid ongoing tariff uncertainty.

Earlier in April, Trump slapped a 20% reciprocal tariff on the European Union before pausing it for 90 days to allow negotiations for a trade deal. The EU also paused its 25% retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods.

“We want to give negotiations a chance,” EU President Ursula Von Der Leyen had said before adding that the bloc will keep all options on the table.

Italy has a trade surplus with the U.S. of about $43 billion. Europe’s third-largest economy is a major exporter of agricultural products and cars to the U.S.

Yet Meloni is among the few European leaders with whom Trump shares amiable relations. During the Italian leader’s last visit to the U.S., Trump had called her a “fantastic woman.”

According to a Bloomberg report, one possible outcome of the meeting could be persuading Trump to agree to a US-EU summit, allowing member states to discuss trade and defense.

Meloni had first suggested the idea earlier this year after the U.S. President’s war of words with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in an Oval Office meeting.

“I don’t feel any pressure, as you can imagine, for the next two days,” Meloni reportedly said earlier this week.

Reports suggested that other EU members are paying close attention to the meeting.

“The Italian prime minister has a good connection to U.S. President Trump, which she can now put to the service of Europe,” Johann Wadephul, a member of Germany’s Christian Democrats, said to Politico.

Following the meeting with Trump, Meloni would host U.S. Vice President JD Vance on a state visit in Rome on April 18.

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