Macron attempts to ease tensions with Meloni in Rome
The reconciliation attempt lasted more than three hours and took the form of a long one-on-one meeting followed by dinner. With kisses and smiles, Giorgia Meloni warmly greeted Emmanuel Macron in Rome on Tuesday, June 3, at Palazzo Chigi, the Italian prime minister's residence. At the end of the evening, the two leaders issued a brief joint statement, highlighting their "strong convergences" and pledging to "coordinate their efforts in European mobilization and action" on major international issues, particularly those where tensions have grown since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Relations between the Italian prime minister, who comes from a post-fascist party, and the pro-European French president have always been complicated, but they have become even more strained since January against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. The Italian press and opposition criticized Meloni's absence during Macron's visit to Kyiv on May 10, when he was accompanied by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the British and Polish prime ministers, Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk. The Italian leader has made no secret of her reservations about Macron's proposal to send European troops to support Kyiv and enforce a highly unlikely ceasefire with Moscow – a subject that was taken out of their joint statement. "The continued unwavering support of France and Italy for Ukraine is even more necessary to achieve a just and lasting solution," the statement emphasized. The two leaders also agreed to hold a bilateral summit in France at the beginning of 2026.
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