Overview
- On Sunday Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said institutional relations and his personal contacts with U.S. officials remain normal and unchanged, stressing the bilateral bond is “deep and solid.”
- President Trump has publicly attacked Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and criticized Italy’s defence posture, highlighting disputes over use of U.S. bases and perceived shortfalls in defence spending.
- Pentagon-level messaging has differed from the president’s tone: U.S. Defense Department official Pete Hegseth praised Italy’s support and leadership during a mid‑June meeting with Crosetto.
- Italian officials point to a late‑March decision to deny a U.S. bomber landing at Sigonella as an example of Rome enforcing treaty limits on base use rather than rejecting cooperation.
- Crosetto warned that recent memoranda on Iran are only an opening step and that changing Tehran’s behaviour will be a long, difficult international process with further diplomatic and operational work ahead.