Italian Prime Minister: Trump Will Defend Western Interests

Georgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister and one of the closest European leaders to Donald Trump, the elected President of the United States, stated on Thursday, January 9, that she believes the United States will defend Western interests and will not abandon Ukraine after Trump takes office. According to Reuters, Meloni visited Trump at his residence in Florida last weekend for discussions. In a press conference in Rome, she mentioned that she received an invitation to Trump's inauguration on January 21 and expressed her desire to attend the ceremony. Meloni's supporters hope that this conservative leader from Italy will have better access to the U.S. President over the next four years compared to leaders from other countries, enabling her to establish a connection between Washington and Europe. During her two-hour press conference on Thursday, Meloni addressed concerns that Trump might distance himself from Washington's traditional European allies with his slogan of 'Make America Great Again.' She confidently dismissed the possibility that the U.S. would attempt to forcibly annex areas like Panama, Greenland, and Canada in the coming years, referring to Trump's comments about these regions. Meloni emphasized that Trump's priority is to prevent major global players from gaining influence in strategically important areas for the U.S. and the West, implicitly referring to Russia and China. She also rejected speculations that Trump's administration might stop supporting Ukraine or force Kyiv to accept unfavorable terms to end the war with Russia, asserting that Trump has the ability to balance diplomacy and deterrence. Furthermore, regarding tariffs on imported goods to the U.S., she suggested that alternative solutions could be found through dialogue with European Union and U.S. partners. The meeting between Trump and Meloni coincides with the ongoing detention of an Italian journalist in Iran and European countries' efforts to continue supporting Ukraine against Russia.