Italian Prime Minister Georgia Melony on April 17 will meet with US President Donald Trump in the White House in order to discuss the issue of new customs duties.
According to the weekly program published by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Italy, Meloni will hold meetings with representatives of the American administration during a two-day visit.
April 17, she will meet Trump in Washington, after which she will immediately return to Rome, where he will accept US Vice President Jay Di Wans, who arrives in Italy for Easter holidays.
According to the Italian media, the key topic of the visit will be the question of new customs duties that Trump has been discussing in recent weeks with many countries, including the EU.
Along with the duties, issues such as increasing defense spending, conflict in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, US and EU relations, energy and interaction with China are also included in the agenda of the two leaders.
Georgia Melonya already met with Trump on December 8, 2024 at the opening ceremony of the Cathedral of the Paris Mother of God in Paris, and then on January 5 in Trump’s residence in Florida.
It is worth noting that Melony became the only European leader who was present at Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
Against the background of these contacts, the press is actively discussing whether Meloni can play the role of the bridge between the EU and the USA in the issue of duties.
It is also noted that the meeting will become a kind of test on how strong the influence of Melony on Trump is
Speaking on the eve of one of the events in Rome, Meloni said: “Let’s see how the events will develop in the coming hours. Time is difficult. At the same time, the Prime Minister attracted attention to the pressure under which Italy is located.
According to La Stampa, in the anticipation of a visit to the United States, Meloni called on the deputy prime ministers Antonio Tayani and Matteo Salvini, as well as ministers to refrain from statements that could provoke unnecessary disputes.
The IL Messaggero newspaper recalls that the United States has recently rejected the EU proposal of zero duties for industrial products.
In conditions when Brussels find it difficult to understand what Washington wants, Melony seeks to establish a dialogue with the Trump administration and convince her to sit down at the negotiating table.
It is also reported that before the visit of Melonya maintained regular communication with the chairman of the EC Ursula von der Layen.
Meanwhile, last week, the Minister of Industry of France, Mark Ferrachacchi, expressed concern that the visit of Melony could “undermine the unity of the EU.” However, the official representative of the French government Sophie Primas later stated that the visit of Melony to the United States does not cause concern, since Italy acts in the spirit of solidarity with the EU.