Ankara, Turkey. Italy will stop responding to provocative remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday as NATO leaders prepared to meet in Ankara. The comments came amid renewed tensions between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Italy’s response to Trump
Tajani told La Stampa newspaper that Italy had decided not to reply to Trump’s remarks in order to avoid fuelling disputes among allies.
“Trump speaks for himself. We have a U.S. President who loves to provoke, especially on social media. We have decided to stop responding to these remarks so as not to fuel disputes among our allies,” Tajani said.
He added: “We are and will remain friends of the United States as our strategic partner and that of Europe.”
Renewed dispute before NATO meeting
The latest exchange followed a dispute that began last month, when Meloni accused Trump of fabricating a story about her after he told an Italian TV channel that she had “begged” him to take a photo with her at a G7 summit in France.
With both leaders due to attend the NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday, Trump appeared to revive the dispute by posting on Truth Social a picture of Meloni looking up at him with the caption “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED”.
Strained ties
Meloni was once a vocal supporter of Trump and was the only European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025.
However, she criticised him this year for lashing out at Pope Leo over his condemnation of the Iran conflict. Trump then accused her of lacking courage.
Media reaction in Italy
Italy’s Il Foglio newspaper mocked Trump’s comment on its front page on Tuesday by publishing a picture of Trump with Russia’s Vladimir Putin under the same caption, “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED”.