Trump and PM Georgia Meloni Face New Strain as Italy Reassesses Israel Ties

The leaders' once-close alliance faces strain as the European nation challenges US and Israeli policies amid the Middle East conflict.

President Donald Trump once praised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as a leader who had “really taken Europe by storm.”

Meloni had flown to Mar-a-Lago in January 2025 for a brief visit before Trump returned to office, a trip Italian and European outlets treated as a sign that she could become one of Washington’s closest European interlocutors. That relationship now looks markedly more strained.

Over the past several months, Meloni has criticized Trump’s comments about Pope Leo XIV, denied at least one U.S. request involving Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, and moved to suspend the automatic renewal of a defense cooperation agreement with Israel. Dockworkers and unions have also increased pressure inside Italy by opposing shipments tied to Israel through Italian ports.

Trump’s early praise for Meloni helped reinforce her image as one of the few European leaders with a direct line to his political circle. During the January 2025 Mar-a-Lago visit, incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly called Meloni a “great ally” and “strong leader."

The public tone changed after Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV over the pope’s criticism of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Trump called the pope “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” in a Truth Social post, and claimed Leo was elected because he was American.

Meloni responded that Trump’s words about the pope were “unacceptable,” adding that the pope is the head of the Catholic Church and that it is “right and normal” for him to call for peace and condemn all war.

Prior to this, Meloni had generally avoided direct criticism of Trump. In Italy, however, the pope occupies a political position no foreign ally can easily dismiss. Meloni’s statement placed her publicly on the opposite side of Trump at a moment when the war was already dividing the United States from several European governments.

Italy Draws a Line at Sigonella

In March, Italy denied the United States permission to use Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily for aircraft expected to land there before continuing to the Middle East.

Italian authorities allegedly learned of the flight plan while the aircraft were already airborne. There had been no prior authorization request or consultation with the Italian military.

The Italian position was procedural but significant. The reported flights were not treated as ordinary logistics missions covered by existing arrangements. ANSA, an Italian news agency, reported that Meloni and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the United States could continue normal use of bases in Italy under bilateral agreements, though any use beyond that scope would require parliamentary authorization.

That does not amount to Italy closing Sigonella to U.S. forces. It does show Rome insisting that the United States cannot assume automatic access for operations tied to a widening Middle East conflict.

Rome Pauses Automatic Renewal with Israel

Italy has also moved carefully, but visibly, on Israel.

In April, Meloni said her government had decided to suspend the automatic renewal of a defense agreement with Israel “in consideration of the current situation.” The agreement set a framework for defense cooperation, including exchanges of military material and technological research for the armed forces.

ANSA reported that the memorandum came into force on April 13, 2016, and renews every five years. Crosetto wrote to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz to inform him of the suspension.

Israel downplayed the move by saying the memorandum lacked “real substance” and that Italy’s decision had “no practical significance.”

While Meloni did not announce a full break with Israel, she did stop treating defense cooperation as something that should renew automatically while the conflict continues.

Dockworkers Increase Domestic Pressure

Italian labor pressure has pushed the government from another direction.

In September 2025, two containers of explosives bound for Haifa were blocked at the port of Ravenna. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the containers did not contain Italian arms or ammunition, saying, “We did not send Italian weapons to Israel.”

Italian-language coverage said the Ravenna case began with a report from port workers, followed by a letter from Ravenna Mayor Alessandro Barattoni, provincial President Valentina Palli and Emilia-Romagna President Michele de Pascale asking terminal operator Sapir to prevent the transit of arms destined for countries in conflict.

The Ravenna incident was not an isolated protest. Italian dockworkers, particularly in Genoa, have spent years opposing arms shipments tied to conflicts in the Middle East. Since the start of the Gaza war, unions and port workers have repeatedly organized demonstrations and coordinated with labor groups across Europe to pressure governments to halt military exports to Israel.

A Relationship Under Strain

Italy remains a NATO ally of the United States and has not completely severed relations with Israel. The change is more specific: Meloni is no longer treating alignment with Trump or cooperation with Israel as politically cost-free or automatic.

Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to chastise Meloni: "After spending Trillions of Dollars on NATO, Italy, and its Prime Minister, wouldn’t even think of becoming involved with the Islamic Republic of Iran and their very serious Nuclear Threat. For decades, we defend them but, when tested, they are not there to defend us, and the rest of the World. Not good!"

The evidence points to strain rather than rupture. Trump’s praise has given way to public disputes. Rome has suspended automatic renewal of a defense cooperation memorandum with Israel. Italian dockworkers and unions have made arms transit a domestic political issue.

For Meloni, the challenge is no longer simply maintaining access to Trump. It is managing the political cost of that relationship as the Middle East conflict tests Italy’s alliances abroad and its governing coalition at home.