'Tariff, US-EU trade deal, or IMEC corridor?' What will Meloni-Trump discuss today during talks in Washington
Meloni and Trump will have lunch at 12 pm, before the meeting in the Oval Office. The meeting will be attended by a pool of White House and Italian journalists. WORLD
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is set to hold talks during a high-stakes summit with US President Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday (April 17).
Meloni is the first European leader to meet Trump after the US president announced tariffs, beginning the trade war.
Meloni and Trump will have lunch at 12 pm local time today (Thursday) before the meeting in the Oval Office.The meeting will be attended by a pool of White House reporters and Italian journalists.
What's on the agenda?
A senior US administration official said that Trump and Meloni meeting was planned "long before" tariffs were introduced, which somehow clarifies that the two leaders' discussion might not just include tariff talks.
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The official said the Trump administration wants to "advance the ball and get into a dialogue".
He further believed that Italy plays a key role in the Europe-Middle East-India trade corridor, saying that the White House sees Italy as an "important" market for US products.
Trump "won't simply focus on how Italy's marketplace can be opened up, but how they can help us with the rest of Europe," he added.
One of the official said that Trump will also push that Italy needs to spend more on defence, a key demand for NATO allies from the Trump administration.
“Certainly, that will come up,” one official said. “There are eight countries that aren’t meeting their 2% threshold. Italy is unfortunately one of them.”
The US has been urging NATO allies to increase their military spending, as the Trump administration seeks an "America First” approach to foreign policy.
Meloni consults with EU leaders before Trump meeting
Earlier this week, during an event in Rome, Meloni said, "It’s a difficult moment, let’s see how the situation develops," while talking about her meeting with the US president.
As you can imagine, I’m feeling no pressure at all,” Meloni joked at the event.
She further said that lets remember "that we have the strength, ability and intelligence to overcome any obstacle.”
Moreover, before leaving for the US, Meloni discussed the summit with the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen.
Germany’s outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and his successor, Friedrich Merz also held discussions with Meloni, Politico reported.
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