Posted on 07/08/2026 8:04:25 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday she did not regret her efforts to forge close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump, despite a series of public disagreements that have strained relations between the erstwhile friends.
Meloni was once seen as one of Trump's closest allies in Europe, but in recent months she has become the target of attacks from the White House leader in media interviews and social media posts.
"No, I absolutely don't regret anything I've done," Meloni said in Ankara, at the end of a NATO summit also attended by Trump, when asked whether she had second thoughts about the political capital she had invested in the U.S. president.
Trump's first public criticism of Meloni came in April, after she rebuked him for attacking Pope Leo over the pontiff's condemnation of the Iran war. In March, Italy denied permission for U.S. military aircraft bound for the Middle East to land at the Sigonella air base in Sicily.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
She should have allowed Trump the use of Italian military air bases.
Oh wait. She didn’t have the unilateral authority.
Maybe she should have been supportive of Trump’s war against Iran.
Oh wait. She was.
So, while several officials are involved, the Prime Minister is the key decision-maker for a high-profile request like this.
Article 6
For the purpose of Article 5, an armed attack on one or more of the Parties is deemed to include an armed attack:
on the territory of any of the Parties in Europe or North America, on the Algerian Departments of France 2, on the territory of Turkey or on the Islands under the jurisdiction of any of the Parties in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer;
on the forces, vessels, or aircraft of any of the Parties, when in or over these territories or any other area in Europe in which occupation forces of any of the Parties were stationed on the date when the Treaty entered into force or the Mediterranean Sea or the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer.
A lot of folks don't realize that an attack on Hawaii wouldn't actually be an Article 5 trigger.
Trump should stop with the childish personal attacks.
It’s even funnier that some folks think that so-called allies are prohibited from assisting outside of NATO.
They’re signatories to the UN charter, which outlaws aggressive war.
When it comes to foreign affairs, Itaians are not known for choosing or acting wisely. This woman was not trying to forge “close ties” to Trump but was trying to determine just how far she could defy and manipulate him. She learned that Trump is no fool and that the Italian defiance and non cooperation in this war with Iran will have consequences.
Italy is one of the PIIGS for very good reason.
Meloni serves at the pleasure of the EU.
Roberto Vannacci should be the next Prime Minister of Italy, replacing Meloni, if the Italian people come to their senses.
Translation: “The EU got to her before Trump did”
So she admits to it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.