Italian Chancellor cancels trip to the US after Trump's speech about Meloni

Comments by US President Donald Trump to an Italian media outlet about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sparked a new diplomatic incident.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced this Friday (19) that he was canceling a planned trip to the United States, where he was supposed to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in response to statements attributed to Trump.

Tajani called Trump's allegations "offensive," while Meloni said they were "completely fabricated."

This is the latest episode in the deteriorating relationship between leaders who previously maintained a close relationship, as well as representing yet another rift between the United States and its European allies.

The case comes after signs of rapprochement during the G7 summit held this week in France.

In an interview with Italian broadcaster La7 TV, Trump said that Meloni had "begged" to take a photo with him during the summit and that he agreed because he felt sorry for her, according to an Italian translation released by the broadcaster.

Meloni countered the statements in a scathing video published on Friday morning, stating that they deserved "an immediate response".

"Donald Trump's statements are completely fabricated. Frankly, I am shocked. I don't know why the president of the United States behaves this way with his own allies, and this is not the first time this has happened," she said in the video published on the X network.

Source: CNN