Trump sharply criticizes one of his top European allies
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump sharply criticized Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for refusing to help the United States in its operation against Iran in an interview with Corriere della Sera.
In a phone call with the Italian outlet, Trump questioned whether Italians liked the fact that Prime Minister Meloni was "providing no assistance" to the US regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
"Do people like that? I can’t imagine it. I’m shocked by her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong," he said.
The President added that he had not discussed his dissatisfaction directly with Meloni.
"She just says Italy doesn’t want to be involved. Even though Italy gets its oil from there, even though America is very important to Italy. She doesn’t think Italy should be involved. She thinks America should do the work for her," Trump said.
The US leader also responded to Meloni’s defense of the Pope. Earlier, she had called Trump’s remarks about the pontiff "unacceptable."
"She is unacceptable because she doesn’t care if Iran gets nuclear weapons and could blow up Italy in two minutes if it had the chance," Trump added.
In his view, Meloni "is no longer the same person, and Italy will not be the same country — immigration is killing Italy and all of Europe."
Meloni and Trump
Meloni has often been described as one of Trump’s key allies in Europe, and the two leaders maintained good relations.
According to Politico, back in January, during a closed-door meeting, she discouraged EU leaders from confronting Trump over his demands to bring Greenland under US control.
At the end of March, media reports also said that Italy had closed its airspace to US aircraft heading to strike Iran.
