WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Thursday lauded Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for strongly supporting Western efforts to help Kyiv fight off Russian attack. AFP reported that President Biden said that Prime Minister Meloni had also provided “strong support in defending against Moscow’s atrocities.”
President Biden Welcomes Italian PM to Talk Ukraine, China
Meloni, sitting with President Biden in the Oval Office, said she was “proud” of Italy’s acts in supporting Kyiv. She said that supporting Kyiv means defending the peaceful coexistence of people and nations everywhere across the world. Washington played down disputes over Meloni’s domestic agenda, instead concentrating on the key roles Italy plays as a key member of the G7 and NATO, which the European country will head up in 2024.
President Biden said that US-Italian trade hit $100 billion in 2022 and said that it should be increased.
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Officials in Washington see the Italian PM as having moderated since assuming office and she has surprised many with her critical posture on supporting Kyiv against Moscow, where President Putin was close allies with the late Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi.
Asked regarding President Biden’s opinion of the far-right in Italy, Kirby said, “The people of Italy get to decide who their ruler is and it is a democracy. President Biden respects that.”
Washington also played down any tensions over the sensitive matter of China. PM Meloni has come under pressure to pull Italy out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that Beijing has utilized to secure influence across the world, mostly in nations with economic problems.
