Premier Giorgia Meloni met United
States President JD Vance in Rome on Friday, joking as she
welcomed him to her office at Palazzo Chigi a day after her
encounter with US President Donald Trump at the White House at
which he was also present.
"I am honoured to welcome the Vice President of the United
States JD Vance, whom I have not seen for a long time, to
Palazzo Chigi," Meloni quipped.
"We had a fantastic meeting yesterday in Washington."
During Thursday's talks Trump heaped praise on Meloni, who is
seeking to act as a bridge between the US and the EU, and both
leaders expressed optimism a deal can be reached over
Washington's tariffs.
Vance said that Friday's talks would focus on "relations between
the two countries" as well as "trade negotiations, not only
between Italy and the US, but also with the EU".
"We have some issues to deal with," Vance continued.
"I will update the premier on the negotiations between Russia
and Ukraine, we had already talked about it in the past. We have
a sense of positivity and optimism".
After the bilateral meeting between Meloni and Vance, the US
vice-president is scheduled to have an extended working lunch in
which Meloni's two deputy premiers, Foreign Minister Antonio
Tajani and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, will also take
part.
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