Italian PM Meloni defends PM Modi, slams Left's 'double standards': 'Despite all the mud...'

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday defended her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi as she slammed the "double standards" of the global political Left. Meloni said that leaders like herself, PM Modi, US President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei are creating and leading a new global conservative movement.

While speaking virtually at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, Meloni said that people across the world are rejecting the Left's "lies", hence, the conservative leaders are rising.

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Meloni, the head of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, said that nationalist leaders are labeled as threats to democracy, whereas leftist leaders were celebrated as visionaries when they established international networks in the past.

"When Bill Clinton and Tony Blair created the global leftist liberal network in the 90s, they were called statesmen. Today, when Trump, Meloni, (Javier) Milei, or maybe (Narendra) Modi talk, they are called a threat to democracy. This is the Left's double standard, but we are used to it," she said.

She further spoke about why people continue to vote for them. "And the good news is people no longer believe in their lies. Despite all the mud they throw at us, citizens keep voting for us," she added.

"They are worried as conservative leaders around the world are winning and collaborating on global issues," she further added.

"We defend freedom. We love our nations. We want secure borders. We preserve businesses and citizens. We defend family and life. We fight against wokeism. We protect the sacred right to our faith and our free speech. And we stand for common sense," Meloni noted.

Italy's ties with the US

Meloni told American conservatives that the United States and Europe would remain close under Donald Trump amid rising tensions between the allies including over the fate of Ukraine.

In the first weeks of Trump's 2.0 reign, ties between staunch allies Europe and the US have been strained. Trump has reached out to Russia and warned of a shift away from Europe, raising fears of America's commitment to the NATO alliance.

Meloni insisted Europe was not "lost", as she blamed "ruling classes" and "mainstream media".

"Our adversaries hope that President Trump will move away from us (Europe)," Meloni said. But, "knowing him as a strong and effective leader I bet that those who hope for divisions will be proven wrong."

As the sole European Union leader to attend Trump's inauguration in January, Meloni has been positioned by her supporters as a possible mediator between the US president and the EU.

However, since then, the nationalist leader has mostly been silent over Trump's barrage of policies and remarks.

(With inputs from agencies)