Meloni in Washington to meet Trump at White House

(ANSA) – ROME, APR 17 – Premier Giorgia Meloni is in Washington to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday for talks that look set to focus on the American administration's tariffs.
Meloni, the leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, has friendly relations with Trump and is seeking to act as a bridge between the EU and the US, which imposed 20% tariffs on European goods before suspending them for 90 days.
The only European leader to be invited to Trump's inauguration in January, she has criticised the tariffs, while at the same time calling on the EU to show restraint and not retaliate to avoid the risk of a full-blown trade war.
Meloni is having lunch with Trump at around 12:00 local time before bilateral talks in the Oval Office with the pool of White House reporters and some Italian journalists.
Meloni has had several conversations with European Commission President Ursula in recent days and and an EU spokesperson said the two leaders "coordinated the visit".
"Our priority has always been to facilitate their access to markets, promote Italian quality and reduce the barriers that hinder our ability to grow," Meloni said in a video message to the General Assembly of the Consortium for the Protection of Grana Padano on Wednesday.
"We will continue in this direction, above all, in this period, which is as complex as it is rapidly evolving, and in which it is necessary to think clearly and work pragmatically". (ANSA).
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