Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has stopped publicly mentioning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after US President Donald Trump criticized him, according to Bloomberg. Meloni and her circle are reportedly shocked by the extent of Trump’s and the new US administration’s attacks on established foreign policy principles, sources familiar with their deliberations told the news agency.
Two days after Trump described Zelenskyy as a “dictator without elections” Meloni publicly commented on the Ukraine situation, but did not mention the Ukrainian leader by name. She only called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and said that Western support and the Ukraine’s own efforts could lead to possible agreements.
Meloni’s office also attempted to cancel her participation in a G7 virtual summit to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, citing a meeting with United Arab Emirates representatives, Bloomberg reported. The attempt was later withdrawn and Meloni’s participation in the virtual summit remained on the agenda.
In her speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, Meloni did not mention Zelenskyy, but referred to Ukrainians as “proud” and said that those who hope for a rift between her and Trump would be disappointed, knowing him as a strong and effective leader.
The conflict between Zelenskyy and Trump takes place amidst talks between the US and Ukraine on access to Ukrainian mineral resources. The US and Russia also held a meeting in Saudi Arabia a day before Trump’s criticism of Zelenskyy, discussing a peace agreement. Ukraine was not invited to the meeting and did not recognize its outcome in advance.
Meloni was the only European head of state to attend Trump’s inauguration on January 20 and she had previously visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida before his presidency. The Italian prime minister is trying to build a “special relationship” with Trump, but is facing a challenging situation, said Francesco Galietti, founder of the political risk assessment firm Policy Sonar, adding that she risks being isolated in Europe without guarantees of protection from US tariffs or reprisals for inadequate defense spending.