On June 20, US President Donald Trump further escalated tensions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni by once again asserting that she had repeatedly requested to be photographed with him at the G7 summit in France this week, according to CNN.
"Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni repeatedly asked to have her picture taken with me at the G7 meeting in France," Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social.
Trump claimed that Meloni's approval rating was plummeting, implying the reason was her refusal to support the U.S. in the conflict with Iran.
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US President Donald Trump speaks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on June 17. Photo: Reuters. |
However, the Italian leader quickly dismissed President Trump's claims, calling his arguments absurd and advising him to focus on his own level of support rather than hers.
“Mr. President Trump, these relentless and unprovoked attacks are meaningless,” Meloni wrote on Facebook late Saturday. She added that her friendship with the American leader had never contributed to her popularity as Trump claimed.
The right-wing leader said she maintained public support thanks to her "ability to protect Italy's national interests," and that was also why she refused to allow the US to use Italian military bases earlier this year.
This is the latest development in the increasingly strained relationship between the two once-close leaders, and further deepens the rift between the U.S. and its European allies. The incident comes just days after fragile signs of reconciliation at the G7 summit in France.
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US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, on June 16. Photo : Reuters. |
Trump's latest statements come after Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced on June 19th that he was canceling his previously planned visit to the United States, where he was scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Marco Rubio to discuss the escalating war of words.
In an interview with Italy's La7 television channel this week, Trump claimed that Meloni had "begged" to be photographed with him at the G7 summit, and that he agreed only out of pity for her.
Meloni rejected these comments in a video posted on the morning of June 19.
"Donald Trump's statements are completely fabricated. Frankly, I'm shocked. I don't understand why the US president would behave like this towards his own allies, and this isn't the first time this has happened," she said.
"I can only say that it is regrettable that he did not show the same toughness toward the enemies of the West, the enemies of America, or toward those leaders with whom he seemed to be much more lenient," said the Prime Minister.
Source: https://znews.vn/ong-trump-lai-cong-kich-ba-meloni-post1661641.html
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