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Rome: Rubio visits Meloni

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Brussels 09.05.2026 This week Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni received the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a moment of maximum strain between her government and President Trump’s administration, caused by the war of choice with Iran.

Rubio headed to Italy for a two-day trip on May 7-8 aimed at easing tensions with Pope Leo after unprecedented attacks on the Pontiff by Trump, while also addressing Washington’s discontent over Italy’s refusal to engage in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Meloni had been one of Trump’s mediators in the relations with the European Union (EU), cultivating close ties with him and presenting herself as a natural bridge between Washington and other European states that had difficulty to estblish dialogue with the outspoken Republican U.S. leader.

However that engagment has come under increasing strain in recent months, as the Iran war of choice has forced her to balance affinity with the U.S. against Italian public animosity to the devastating military operations and the tremendous economic cost of the conflict, provoking a prolonged energy crisis.

Before heading to the Prime minister’s office, Rubio met Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who said the talks had been positive.

“I am convinced that Europe needs America, Italy needs America, but the United States also needs Europe and Italy,” Tajani told reporters.

Meloni and Rubio discussed the situation in the Gulf, as well as Russia’s war on Ukraine, U.S. tariffs on European goods and the perspectives for Cuba, which President Trump described as a new target for the U.S. fleet operations.

The Christains of the world are also interested to find out the conclusions of Rubio’s meetings at the Vatican. Trump’s recent attacks on Pope Leo crossed a sensitive line in overwhelmingly Catholic Italy and prompted Meloni to call them “unacceptable.”

However her criticism was met with rage from Trump, who said she lacked courage and had let Washington down, and moreover he started to threaten to withdraw U.S. troops from Italy.
“Meloni is not the old Meloni. I was shocked by that. I thought she was a brave person, but I was mistaken” Trump said.

Meloni said that she would not support such a move, but acknowledged that the decision didn’t depend on her.

Italy last month refused to allow U.S. aircraft to use the Sigonella air base (Sicily) for enabling the combat operations in Iran. Italian officials said Washington had not sought prior authorisation from the Italian Parliament for the use of the site.

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, a close Meloni ally, later warned that the Iran war was putting U.S. global leadership at risk and added that he feared the “madness” of the nuclear escalation.

Pollsters indicate that Meloni’s ties to Trump could prove a potential liability with voters ahead of national elections due next year.

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