US President Donald Trump appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone toward Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during his visit to Ankara for a NATO summit.
His latest remarks came after a public disagreement between the two leaders in recent weeks. Although Trump repeated some of his earlier criticism, he also offered positive comments about the Italian prime minister.
Trump calls Meloni “a nice person”
Speaking during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoฤan, Trump said he still had a favorable opinion of Meloni despite their recent differences.
He stated:
“I think sheโs a nice person, actually.”
Trump acknowledged that relations between the two leaders had become strained.
He said:
“We had a bad relationship, folks. It became a little bad because she refused to help us… She refused to get involved with the Hormuz Strait.”
According to Trump, his disappointment centered on Europe’s unwillingness to play a role during the US-Israeli conflict involving Iran.
Diplomatic dispute followed G7 remarks
The latest comments come after a public exchange between Trump and Meloni late last month.
The disagreement began when Trump claimed during an interview with an Italian television channel that Meloni had “begged” him for a photograph during the G7 summit.
He also said he agreed to the photograph because he “felt sorry for her.”
Meloni rejected those claims and described them as “made up.”
Following her response, Trump continued the public dispute with additional remarks.
Later, he also shared an edited image on his Truth Social platform showing Meloni looking at him. The post included the words:
“Restraining Order Needed”.
Trump says Meloni made a mistake
Despite offering praise during Tuesday’s remarks, Trump maintained that he disagreed with Meloni’s position on regional security issues.
He said:
“I like her, I think sheโs a nice person actually, but I think she made a mistake.. she just wasnโt there for us and I wasnโt happy about that.”
His comments again reflected his criticism of European allies over their response to the situation involving the Strait of Hormuz.
NATO summit follows renewed criticism of Europe
Trump made the remarks as NATO leaders gathered in Ankara for a key summit.
Ahead of the meeting, he had repeatedly criticized European NATO members over defense and security issues.
The alliance’s members have continued highlighting increased defense spending as they seek to address concerns raised by the US president during the summit discussions.
