(Adnkronos) – Italy’s premier Giorgia Meloni and her government are playing a crucial role in efforts towards an immediate ceasefire in the 39-month-old Russia-Ukraine war and in trade talks between the US and the European Union, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday.
“Right now the main issue has been to prepare the ground for the meeting between Trump and Putin scheduled for 4pm Italian time today,” Tajani told reporters.
Meloni and the leaders of the UK, France and Germany on Sunday had a conference call with US president Donald Trump, during which Meloni, Keith Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Fridrich Merz voiced support for Trump’s drive for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, Meloni’s office said in a statement.
“Italy has shown it is a leading player in international politics, as was also shown by Meloni’s meeting with (European Commission president Ursula) von der Leyen and (US vice-president JD Vance), organised by the government,” said Tajani.
Tajani referred to talks between Meloni, von der Leyen and Vance in Rome on Sunday at the prime minister’s office in Rome, which Vance said he hoped would help move forward talks between the US and the EU amid transatlantic tensions over tariffs.
The Meloni, von der Leyen and Vance’s talks took place after they attended Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass.
