Italy's Meloni seeks to avoid escalation after Trump revives personal feud

In Italy on 7 July 2026, Prime Minister Meloni sought to avoid escalation after Trump revived a personal feud, ahead of a NATO summit. Trump called Meloni a “nice person” but said she “refused to help us” in the Iran war and that the relationship had soured. Der Spiegel reported that Trump sought reconciliation after mocking her on Truth Social, and a photo dispute had earlier strained ties, according to Daily Sabah.

Belgium's defence minister backed Meloni, saying “She's the queen, leave her alone”. Santiago Abascal said Trump cannot treat allies as vassals. At the NATO summit, Meloni sidestepped journalists' questions about clearing things up with Trump, saying she had already answered.