by InTrieste
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Washington today for high-stakes talks with U.S. President Donald J. Trump, as tensions rise over new American tariffs on European Union goods.
At the heart of the discussions is a proposal Meloni has dubbed “zero for zero” — a plan to eliminate reciprocal tariffs on industrial products in an effort to stave off a transatlantic trade war. The Italian leader, who has positioned herself as a key European interlocutor with Trump, is seeking to de-escalate after Trump’s recent move to impose a 20 percent tariff on EU imports.
Speaking earlier this week in Rome, Meloni reiterated her opposition to the tariffs, calling them “absolutely wrong” and warning that “such incisive protectionist policies will end up damaging Europe as much as the United States.”
“The economies of Western nations are strongly interconnected,” Meloni told Italian business leaders at a round table meeting last Tuesday, during which she previewed her negotiation strategy for Washington.
The Rome gathering included Italy’s top ministers, among them Deputy Prime Ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini, as well as Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, Business Minister Adolfo Urso, Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, and European Affairs Minister Tommaso Foti.
A statement from Palazzo Chigi described the talks as a show of “shared awareness” in confronting an “increasingly complex” global economic environment. Business leaders reportedly voiced concerns over long-term competitiveness and export access, with Meloni pledging full government support.
To bolster Italian industry against potential fallout, Meloni’s government has identified €25 billion in available funds, including €14 billion from the EU’s pandemic-era Recovery and Resilience Facility and €11 billion from the EU’s Cohesion Fund, according to the ANSA news agency.
Despite her criticism of Trump’s tariffs, Meloni has maintained an unusually close rapport with the former president. She was the only EU leader to attend Trump’s second inauguration in January, and has often emphasized ideological alignment on economic sovereignty and national interest.
In Washington, she is expected to argue that tariff escalation will only deepen uncertainty in already fragile post-pandemic economies and damage the “Made in Italy” brand she has worked to promote on the global stage.
Meloni also called on Italian employers, unions, and exporters to present a unified front. “This is a moment that requires responsibility from all sides,” she said.
Whether Trump will be receptive to Meloni’s zero-tariff proposal remains to be seen. But for now, Europe’s hopes of avoiding a deeper economic rift with Washington may rest on what unfolds behind closed doors today.
