Premier Giorgia Meloni is in
Washington to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House
on Thursday for talks that look set to focus on the American
administration's tariffs.
Meloni, the leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI)
party, has friendly relations with Trump and is seeking to act
as a bridge between the EU and the US, which imposed 20% tariffs
on European goods before suspending them for 90 days.
The only European leader to be invited to Trump's inauguration
in January, she has criticised the tariffs, while at the same
time calling on the EU to show restraint and not retaliate to
avoid the risk of a full-blown trade war.
Meloni is having lunch with Trump at around 12:00 local time
before bilateral talks in the Oval Office with the pool of White
House reporters and some Italian journalists.
Meloni has had several conversations with European Commission
President Ursula in recent days and and an EU spokesperson said
the two leaders "coordinated the visit".
"Our priority has always been to facilitate their access to
markets, promote Italian quality and reduce the barriers that
hinder our ability to grow," Meloni said in a video message to
the General Assembly of the Consortium for the Protection of
Grana Padano on Wednesday.
"We will continue in this direction, above all, in this period,
which is as complex as it is rapidly evolving, and in which it
is necessary to think clearly and work pragmatically".
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