Italy’s top diplomat nixes US trip after Meloni says Trump fabricated story

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkItaly's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with US President Donald Trump during the G7 Summit in France earlier this week [Yoan Valat/EPA]By Al Jazeera Staff and The Associated PressPublished On 19 Jun 202619 Jun 2026A diplomatic row between United States President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has escalated, with Italy’s top diplomat cancelling an upcoming visit to the US.At issue is Trump’s claim that Meloni “begged” him for a photograph during the Group of Seven (G7) meeting in France earlier in the week.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Why has Italy’s Giorgia Meloni suspended a defence pact with Israel?list 2 of 3Italy officials slam ‘shameful’ idea of taking Iran’s place at World Cuplist 3 of 3Rubio meets Pope Leo: Can they heal White House-Vatican rift?end of list“She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” Trump reportedly told the Italian La7 network. The broadcaster only published a dubbed Italian version of the interview, not the original English version.“She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.”On Friday, Meloni posted a video answering Trump’s statement, saying that “certain things deserve an immediate response”.“Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly stunned,” she said. “I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way toward his own allies. After all, this isn’t the first time this has happened.”The head of a far-right party who campaigned on an anti-immigrant platform, Meloni had long been seen as one of Trump’s most supportive counterparts in Europe.She had met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate following his 2024 election victory and attended his inauguration in January 2025. However, the pair have diverged during Trump’s second term over several issues, including support for Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, the US-Israeli war with Iran, Trump’s threats to seize the Danish territory of Greenland and his criticism of Pope Leo.In her video, Meloni said it was a “shame” Trump did not show “the same resolve toward the enemies of the West, toward the enemies of the United States” as he did in his statements against her.She accused the US president of being “much more accommodating” to foes than allies.“But there’s one thing he must remember: Italy and I do not beg,” she said.Shortly after Meloni posted the video, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he was cancelling a weekend trip to the US, where he was scheduled to attend a business forum in Miami, Florida and meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.He called Trump’s reported statements “serious and offensive”. Several other government officials also weighed in. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio suggested Trump’s remarks besmirched the legacy of the US soldiers who died during World War II.“The thousands of crosses marking the graves of American soldiers who died to free us from Nazi-Fascist dictatorship did not deserve such a painful blow to our fraternal ties,” Nordio posted on X.Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said he did not believe Meloni would ever beg for a photo, “not even under threat”.“Jokes of this kind do no good to anyone: neither to the USA, nor to Italy, nor to the alliance,” he said.The White House did not immediately respond to Meloni’s comments.