Italy cancels US visit after Trump claims Meloni 'begged' for photo at G7

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani's planned Washington visit, scheduled for next week, was cancelled on Friday. The cancellation followed an interview in which President Donald Trump said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had 'begged' him for a photograph at last month's G7 summit. Meloni told reporters in Rome that the claim was 'completely made up' and that she was 'frankly stunned.'

Quirinale and foreign-ministry sources confirmed that Tajani's Washington programme had been cleared by Monday. The schedule of US-EU trade talks led by the Italian presidency of the EU Council will be reassessed. A White House spokesperson responded to questions by saying: 'We stand by what the president said.'

The diplomatic flare-up adds to a week of personal friction between Trump and several European leaders. The German Chancellor and the French Élysée have not yet commented. European diplomats are watching closely for any spillover into EU-US trade and defence talks. Meloni's planned remarks in Brussels in the coming days and any White House climb-down will be decisive.