Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will meet with President Trump at the White House on Thursday as the European Union attempts to make progress on trade negotiations during a 90-day pause on reciprocal U.S. tariffs.
The visit comes after a new round of talks in Washington this week yielded little progress, with both sides still divided over key issues including steel, automobiles, and liquefied natural gas.
Meloni, who has maintained a close relationship with Trump, is viewed by European officials as a key intermediary. Trump previously hosted her at Mar-a-Lago and invited her to his January inauguration. The two align on issues such as migration and defense spending, and Meloni was one of the few European leaders to publicly support Vice President JD Vance following criticism of his speech in Munich.
After Thursday’s meeting, Meloni is expected to return to Rome to host Vance on Friday. Her visit is being closely followed in Brussels, where E.U. officials are seeking a reset in trade talks that stalled under Trump’s earlier tariff policies. E.U. trade chief Maros Sefcovic held meetings in Washington on Monday with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Sefcovic said progress would require effort from both sides and called on the U.S. to clarify its trade position.
As part of its negotiating stance, the E.U. has paused its countermeasures on steel and is still discussing how to handle Trump’s car tariffs. In return, it has offered to increase purchases of American LNG and proposed reciprocal zero tariffs on industrial goods.
Meloni is reportedly prepared to offer additional concessions, including increased Italian defense spending, investment in the U.S. by Italian companies, and a possible sale of border security systems developed by Italian defense firm Leonardo. Italian officials have also signaled a willingness to address the trade imbalance with the United States.
Though the European Commission leads official trade negotiations, Meloni’s outreach has been welcomed in Brussels. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Meloni have remained in regular contact ahead of the Washington meeting.
