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Meloni sent conciliatory signals at a press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky, calling for transatlantic unity...
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be the guest of the French president in Paris on Friday, along with Keir Starmer and Friedrich Merz, to discuss the blockade of Hormuz and a possible continental expedition through the Strait. The official announcement has not yet been made, but the only possibility that the leader will not be photographed at the Elysee Palace depends on whether the German Chancellor will stay in Germany. However, Berlin announced its intention to attend yesterday. The Prime Minister is therefore preparing for a delicate four-way summit in the French capital; the others will only participate via video link.
Therefore, she will be in conversation with Emmanuel Macron, with whom she has often faced off in duels. In political jargon, there is not much to add: after the rift with Donald Trump has been finalized, by the tycoon's own decision, it should be remembered, Meloni has chosen to participate in the meeting of EU leaders on Hormuz.
It is the most sensitive geopolitical issue of this phase and the point of greatest friction with Washington, as it represents an existential threat to the economies of the Union. By appearing at the Elysee Palace, it is as if Rome is sending a message to the White House, carefully and without declaring it openly, that there is an alternative to the Italian turbo-Trumpism promoted for many months by Palazzo Chigi. It is a difficult battle, of course, defined by a clash chosen by the US president. But it is another game plan that, in any case, must be tested on the ground.
It is clear that for the Prime Minister this is a Plan B, which still needs to be worked out. This is also because the European expedition to Hormuz remains shrouded in uncertainty: today the Sherpas, and perhaps even the leaders, will exchange preliminary information, which is particularly necessary to clarify the plans of Macron and Starmer. The Americans are pushing for immediate engagement, one of the points on which Trump has challenged Meloni, while E4 continues to repeat that a sustainable ceasefire is needed first.
Therefore, Italy's commitment will be finalized in the coming days and is not necessarily limited to sending minesweepers. In fact, Paris could reactivate a mission that was suspended a short time ago, asking its allies to participate in securing Hormuz. This would also be a way to ease pressure from the White House.
Everything is changing. Trump's new attack on Meloni makes this move almost inevitable: if Americans no longer recognize her as "friend Giorgia", the only way is to turn their attention to Paris and Berlin. In fact, first Berlin and then Paris: the decision to physically attend Macron's meeting, instead of connecting only via video conference, stems from discussions with the German Chancellor. And in Hormuz, Italy intends to act in unison with Merz.
It is a delicate balance with the US. A relationship long defined as special cannot be denied, to the extent that it brought Meloni, the only Western leader, to Inauguration Day in Washington in January 2025. Therefore, the signals for the White House must be measured carefully. Yesterday, for example, Antonio Tajani specified that it is not a "crisis, but a divergence of opinions". Matteo Salvini, on the other hand, even went so far as to ironize the tycoon: "The war, according to Trump, has ended several times and is not over yet...".
Meanwhile, Meloni sent conciliatory signals at the press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky, calling for transatlantic unity. This is why Palazzo Chigi has not ruled out a phone call with the US president soon, hopefully very soon./ Adapted by “Pamphlet” from “La Repubblica”
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