Today at 19:02
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emphasized the importance of transatlantic unity and stated that she agrees with some of the comments made by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance about Europe.
This was reported by The Guardian.
Meloni, the leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, said on Saturday that she sees it as her duty to protect transatlantic unity and “restore it if necessary.”
“Of course, there are differences on tariffs at the negotiation table, but for this very reason, I also believe that we should act not impulsively, but with reasoned arguments,” she said.
A little over 10% of Italy’s exports go to the U.S., half of which are machinery and related components. Meloni, whose party holds strong Eurosceptic views, told Financial Times on Friday that the U.S. is Italy’s “primary ally” and rejected the idea that Italy must choose between Europe and the U.S.
“Our relationship with the U.S. is the most important of all we have,” she said.
She also supported U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s accusations that Europe has abandoned its commitments to free speech and democracy.
“I must say that I agree with this. I have been saying this for many years… Europe has somewhat lost itself,” Meloni said.
In a high-profile speech at the Munich Security Conference on February 14, J.D. Vance harshly criticized European countries for allegedly retreating from free speech and democracy.
Later, Meloni defended Vance’s Munich speech.
Read also: Danish PM Calls Vance’s Criticism in Greenland “Inaccurate”
