Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will journey to Washington subsequent week to fulfill U.S. President Donald Trump on April 17 to debate escalating commerce tensions between the United States and the European Union, her workplace confirmed Tuesday.
The go to, first reported by Italian day by day La Repubblica, is anticipated to start on April 16, with the assembly happening the next day on the White House. The timing follows weeks of hypothesis within the Italian press a few high-level assembly forward of Easter, which falls on April 20 this 12 months. Meloni’s workplace has not but confirmed her full journey itinerary.
The assembly comes amid rising European issues over sweeping new U.S. tariffs on EU items. Trump’s administration has introduced tariffs of 20% on most European exports, with further duties of 25% on key merchandise like aluminum, metal, and vehicles. EU officers have signaled that retaliatory measures might comply with later this week if no deal is reached.
Meloni, whose right-wing insurance policies carefully align with Trump’s, has criticized the tariffs however warned in opposition to escalating the state of affairs by EU-level countermeasures. In a latest interview with the Financial Times, she acknowledged that Trump’s grievances with the EU weren’t with out benefit and emphasised the necessity for diplomacy over confrontation.
“Protectionism and tariffs were not invented by Donald Trump,” she mentioned, providing herself as a bridge between Europe and Washington. She warned that retaliation might spark a commerce conflict that will hurt Italy, which holds the EU’s third-largest commerce surplus for items after Germany and Ireland.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance can also be anticipated to go to Rome on April 18, in an indication of ongoing dialogue between the 2 governments.
Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani urged the EU on Monday to contemplate delaying counter-tariffs set to take impact Wednesday. EU officers have largely agreed to pursue negotiations with Washington, although a primary spherical of retaliatory measures continues to be anticipated to maneuver ahead this week.
Meloni was one of many few European leaders invited to Trump’s inauguration in January and beforehand met with him at his Florida residence. Along with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, she is taken into account one in all Trump’s closest European allies.
Source: www.dailysabah.com