Why did Trump call Meloni a "great leader"

US President Trump praised Italian Prime Minister Meloni as a "great leader" in a recent interview, saying that Italy would assist the US and Israel in a war against Iran.

It is well known that Italian Prime Minister Meloni shares similar political views with Trump. After Trump's second term, Meloni constantly emphasizes her special role in communicating between European countries and the US. Three days after the US and Israel bombed Iran, the Italian government finally stated: it is planning to provide air defense assistance to Gulf countries to cope with Iranian air attacks.

The Italian Navy spokesperson said on the 6th that the military was dispatching a warship to Cyprus, an EU member country near Italy, to help prevent retaliation actions by Iran against the US and Israel's airstrikes.

Before this, France and Greece also made similar decisions. Even Meloni told the media: "Italy, like the UK, France, and Germany, is ready to provide assistance to Persian Gulf countries."

Meloni is not the first "great leader" to offer aid to the US and Israel, and she has specifically pointed out: "We are obviously talking about defense, especially air defense systems. This is not only because they are friendly countries, but also because there are tens of thousands of Italians in the region, and about 2,000 Italian soldiers must be protected. In addition, the Persian Gulf region is crucial for Italy's and the entire Europe's energy supply."

Regarding the issue of whether the three US military bases in Italy may get involved in the conflict, Meloni also responded cautiously, saying that the bases are currently only authorized to carry out "non-bombing tasks," and any changes must be reviewed by the cabinet she leads, and it is likely to be discussed by the Italian Parliament. So far, no relevant requests have been received.

Specifically, France, Italy, and Greece mainly coordinate military deployments in Cyprus (Cyprus) and the eastern Mediterranean. The French president called the Italian and Greek prime ministers about this. "The three countries agreed to coordinate the deployment of military assets to Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean, and work together to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea."

On March 3, French President Macron solemnly announced that France had dispatched the aircraft carrier "Charles-de-Gaulle" to the Mediterranean to deal with the rising tensions in the Middle East, and sent the frigate "Languedoc" to the sea off Cyprus.

Greece stated on March 2 that it was sending two frigates and two F-16 fighter jets to Cyprus.

Italy officially announced on the 5th that it would send naval assets with France, Spain, and the Netherlands in the coming days to assist the EU member state Cyprus.

US President highly praised the statements of Italian female Prime Minister, which were made in response to an interview by Italian media, and calling her a "great leader" would not cause jealousy among other country leaders.

In fact, regarding the question of whether European allies support the US and Israel's bombing of Iran, Trump's dissatisfaction mainly targets the British Prime Minister Starmer (Keir Starmer), because Britain did not give assurances of support from the beginning. However, on the night of March 1, the day after the first wave of attacks by the US and Israel, the British Prime Minister stated that he would allow the US to use British military bases for future defensive strikes. And it was explained in the British Parliament.

Despite this, it was too late. On March 3, Trump again expressed his dissatisfaction with the British Prime Minister during an interview with the British "Sun" newspaper. Trump even used a divisive approach, saying that countries such as France gave more support to the US than Britain, and he never expected that the most solid relationship with the US among all countries would become so. He said that the US-British relationship "obviously has changed and is very regrettable."

Trump, who is full of hatred, told the Sun: "The US does not need Britain to wage war in the Middle East. Whether Britain joins or not is not important, but (Starmer) should help. ... France is very good, they are all very good; Britain is different from others."

Whether the US and Israel's preemptive bombing of Iran is in accordance with international law? There is debate over this issue. Even though the Italian right-wing government has always been committed to strengthening its close relationship with the US, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said on March 5 that the US and Israel's joint air strike on Iran caused instability in the Middle East, which clearly violated international law.

Crosetto said in the lower house of parliament that the decision by the US to launch an attack last weekend "certainly violated international law regulations, and there is no doubt about this."

He also said that Italy was forced to deal with a conflict that was initiated by the US and Israel without informing its allies and partners beforehand. "This is a conflict that erupted without the knowledge of the whole world. We and other countries around the world have to face and try to deal with the consequences."

On March 8, on the ninth day of the war triggered by the US and Israel's attack on Iran, Pope Leo XIV of the Roman Catholic Church expressed deep concern about the news coming from Iran and the entire Middle East, calling for an end to violent conflicts and the resumption of dialogue space.

Pope Leo XIV, during his Sunday prayer, pointed out that the conflict is fueling fear and hatred, and he feared that the war might spread further, affecting other countries, including "Dear Lebanon." "Let us pray devoutly to the Lord, may the sound of bombs stop, the sounds of weapons cease, and open up a space for dialogue, allowing the voices of the people to be heard."

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1859135932022856/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.