Meloni met with Vance and von der Leyen in an attempt to start "with a clean slate"
Kyiv • UNN
Giorgia Meloni met with the US Vice President and the head of the European Commission against the background of trade tensions. Italy is acting as a mediator to restore Western unity.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met in Rome with US Vice President Jay Dee Vance and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, marking the first official meeting between US and EU leaders since Donald Trump took office. This is reported by Euractiv, reports UNN.
Details
The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of Pope Leo XVI, took place against the backdrop of growing trade tensions between the European Union and the United States over tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
I hope that today, which marks our first meeting, can be a new beginning
After the trilateral meeting, Meloni described the talks as "constructive" and a "step towards restoring Western unity" in a social media post and stressed Italy's role as a mediator between the EU and the US.
Vance supported this view, paying tribute to Meloni's efforts.
One of the things Prime Minister Meloni has offered to do, and which the President (of the European Commission - ed.) and I have obviously gladly accepted, is to act as a mediator between Europe and the United States.
Trade discussions dominated the discussion, with US and EU leaders making it clear that they were in a positive mood.
I believe we will have a productive conversation and I hope it marks the beginning of long-term trade negotiations that will benefit both the US and the EU
Von der Leyen spoke in the same optimistic tone, adding: "What unites us is that we both want a good deal for both sides."
Sunday's meeting took place against the backdrop of continued trade tensions between the EU and the US. The European Commission recently threatened to impose tariffs on major US aircraft manufacturers, while Trump called the EU "desperate" for a trade deal.
Although an agreement on a meeting was reached during a brief conversation at the Pope's funeral last month, an official meeting between von der Leyen and Trump has not yet taken place.
Recall
US President Donald Trump said that the European Union treats the US very unfairly and is worse than China. This happened after agreements between the US and China to reduce tariffs.
