Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni publicly credited U.S. President Donald Trump with creating what she called a “new phase” in efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Speaking in Washington on 18 August, Meloni said that after more than three years without any indication that Moscow was willing to engage in dialogue, “something is changing — something has changed — thanks to you.” Meloni also singled out entrepreneur Elon Musk for providing Starlink satellite communications to Ukrainian forces, describing the system as vital “in the battlefield.” While neither leader detailed concrete next steps, Meloni’s remarks mark one of the strongest endorsements from a European head of government for the diplomatic approach pursued by the Trump administration since it took office in January.
#WATCH | Washington, DC | Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says, "... It is an important day and a new phase after three years of no kind of sign from the Russian side for any kind of will for a dialogue. Something is changing, something has changed, thanks to you... We also https://t.co/GgTzZMZuh9
Prime Minister @GiorgiaMeloni : "It is an important day — a new phase — after three years that we didn't see any kind of sign from the Russian side that they were willing for dialogue, so something is changing — something has changed — thanks to you." https://t.co/Db4Gtj5TaN
Italian PM @GiorgiaMeloni says @POTUS was the DIFFERENCE in this war. "After three years and a half that we didn’t see any kind of sign from the Russian side that there was a willing for dialogue. So something is changing, something has changed thanks to you." 👏 https://t.co/xca4GLVMkb