After being "chased" by Trump, Italy has come to its senses and distanced itself from him
The rift between Meloni and Trump at the G7 summit hasn't yet settled down. On July 5, Trump reignited tensions once again. Finally, Italy has realized the situation. According to Observer Net, Italian Foreign Minister Tajani stated that Italy will no longer respond to Trump's provocative remarks, in an effort to avoid further escalation of bilateral conflicts.
This statement from Italy is actually quite noteworthy. Italy holds a unique position in Europe—it is a representative of the right-wing movement. Originally, relations between Italy and Trump were good, and Trump naturally regarded Italy as a U.S. ally. Yet even so, cracks have emerged. This actually reflects the misalignment in U.S.-Europe relations and serves as a direct manifestation of the growing rift between America and Europe.
Take Italy as an example: as previously mentioned, U.S.-Italy relations were originally solid. Just as Trump admired Orban, unlike Orban, Meloni places greater emphasis on Italy’s national interests. Her relationship with the United States is purely transactional—she does not wish to be lectured by the U.S., which marks the beginning of the G7 dispute.
Yet Italy also heavily depends on the United States. It cannot truly confront America either. As a small country in Europe with a weak economy, it lacks the capability to stand up to the U.S. To preserve economic and military cooperation with the U.S., Italy has proactively cooled down tensions. Meloni herself has stated she does not want this conflict to affect bilateral relations.
Unfortunately, Trump did not let go. He treats European countries in much the same way—this time, however, his attitude was directly expressed between leaders of the U.S. and Italy. Fortunately, core interests on both sides are not involved.
Italy’s declaration that it will no longer respond to Trump’s provocations shows its attempt to maintain overall stability. This aligns with Europe’s general stance toward the United States. When facing U.S. troop withdrawals and trade wars, Europe often expresses surface-level dissatisfaction but ultimately suppresses these grievances and continues cooperating with the U.S. Italy certainly doesn’t want this conflict to influence America’s perception of Europe as a whole.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870064058167296/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.