On June 21, Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social, stating, "The United States has spent trillions of dollars on NATO and Italy, yet Italy and its Prime Minister have no intention of engaging with the Islamic Republic of Iran and their very serious nuclear threats."
He added, "For decades, we have protected them, but when the test comes, they do not step up to protect us and other countries in the world. This is not good."
Trump's remarks suggest a lack of cooperation from Italy, a NATO ally, in the U.S. response to the Iranian nuclear issue and potential military actions. However, the specific military or diplomatic requests he referred to were not clarified in his public statements.
The conflict between the two leaders has become public following the recent G7 summit photo controversy. Trump claimed that during the summit in France, Meloni repeatedly asked him for photo opportunities.
Meloni strongly denied this, calling it "a completely fabricated story." He stated, "Italy and I do not beg anyone," expressing his strong disapproval of Trump's comments.
The Italian government has also protested. Antonio Tajani, Italy's Foreign Minister, criticized Trump's remarks as an insult to the entire country and canceled a planned visit to the United States.
Meloni has been regarded as a prominent pro-Trump leader in Europe. However, differences over the Iran issue, support for Ukraine, and NATO have led to escalating tensions between the U.S. and Italy, turning their disagreements into a diplomatic issue.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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