Summary

  • Italy's Giorgia Meloni says "we hope to make the West great again" as Donald Trump hosts the Italian Prime Minister at the White House

  • The US president says there will "100%" be an EU tariff deal, boasting that he'll have "little problem" securing one

  • He adds that he plans to sign the Ukraine minerals deal "next Thursday"

  • As a reminder, that deal was expected to be signed during Zelensky's White House visit in February, but was put on hold after their fiery meeting

  • Meloni is the first European leader to visit Washington since Trump brought in 20% tariffs on the EU - they have since been paused for 90 days

'I think we can make a deal,' says Italian Prime Minister

Live Reporting

Edited by Tinshui Yeung

  1. Analysis

    Could Meloni be Europe's Trump card?

    Laura Gozzi
    Europe reporter

    Trump and Meloni do a thumbs up for reporters as they pose at Mar-a-Lago in FloridaReuters

    At this fraught moment, Giorgia Meloni is perhaps one of the best-placed current European leaders to speak to Trump.

    European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen recognises that and they have been speaking regularly ahead of the trip.

    Trump and Meloni famously enjoy a good relationship and have lavished praise on one another in the past. He has called her a "fantastic woman" who has "really taken Europe by storm".

    For her part, Meloni – who has headed a right-wing coalition government since 2022 - is ideologically closer to Trump than to some of her European neighbours.

    In a video message to a US conservative conference in February, she echoed some of Trump's common talking points, railing against mass migration, "globalist elites" and "woke ideology".

    She was also the only European leader to attend the US president's inauguration in January, and has steered clear of overtly criticising the work of his administration since.

    The harshest criticism she has dispensed was earlier this month, when she said Trump's decision to impose 20% tariffs on the EU was "absolutely wrong" and would end up damaging the EU "as much as the US".

  2. Italy's Meloni in Washington for Trump talks

    Good afternoon from London.

    Today, US President Donald Trump will host Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House.

    She’s the first EU leader to visit Washington since Trump introduced, then suspended, 20% tariffs on the bloc.

    Other EU leaders are hoping the Italian PM – who shares a warmer relationship with the president – could persuade him to drop any plans for more duties and help ease the tense relations with the Trump administration.

    The two are set to meet in the Oval Office at 12:00 EDT (17:00 BST).

    We’ll be covering it all live right here, so stay with us.