“There are many topics we discussed yesterday and many more we will discuss today,” Meloni said of this meeting, which took place one day after the one held at noon last Friday in Washington between her and President Donald Trump, which Vance also attended, according to a report published in the newspaper La Repubblica.
A report published on the website of that local news outlet indicates that the dialogue focused on relations between the two countries and discussed future trade negotiations between the United States not only with Italy, but with the European Union (EU) in general.
In statements to the press, Meloni expressed that she was “proud of the privileged relationship” she maintains with the current US administration and asserted that “Italy can be an extremely important partner in Europe and the Mediterranean for the United States.”
For his part, Vance emphasized that his country “has important trade negotiations underway,” both with Rome and the EU, and regarding Washington’s announced increase in tariffs on countries from the so-called Old Continent, he reaffirmed Trump’s statement 24 hours earlier that “we can reach an agreement.”
The US vice president affirmed that in his exchange with Meloni, he updated her on the latest developments related to the White House’s actions aimed at supporting negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, about which he expressed his optimism.
He also referred to a future increase in U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Italy, a topic previously discussed between Trump and Meloni, who asserted that his country “will have to increase energy imports.”
The Italian leader announced after her conversation with the U.S. president that companies from this European nation will invest 10 billion euros in the United States, demonstrating that “their respective economies are interconnected.”
On the other hand, it was confirmed that the U.S. president accepted Meloni’s invitation to make an upcoming visit to Rome, during which he will also “consider meeting with Europe.”
This first official visit by Vance to Italy, where he will remain until next Wednesday, will include a meeting at the Holy See with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, after which he will continue his trip to India, as part of a tour of both nations that will extend until April 24.
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