US Disappointed as Italy Cancels Visit Amid Rift Between Meloni and Trump

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the cancellation of an official Italian visit to the United States as unfortunate, following a public spat between the two nations’ leaders. President Donald Trump this month accused Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of repeatedly trying to take photographs with him, a claim that angered Rome and prompted the Italian foreign minister to cancel his planned trip to the US. ‘It’s very unfortunate that an event like that had to be disrupted,’ Rubio told reporters during a visit to Bahrain. ‘I think they should have come anyway. Having said that, we have a number of agreements that are ready to be signed. We will formalise them in short order. We just need to find a venue to do it.’ Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had been scheduled to travel to Miami earlier this week for a business conference with Rubio, but the State Department confirmed the event was called off. Trump and Meloni have been engaged in an open dispute in recent months after the US President criticised Italy for not supporting American actions regarding Iran. ‘Our relationship with Italy continues to be smooth at… all levels. Obviously, the President is disappointed,’ Rubio said. ‘He feels that not just Italy, but other countries as well—at a time when we face threats that endanger not just us, but Europe in particular—many European nations are not taking the steps or doing enough.’ He added that he expected these points to be discussed further at the NATO summit in Turkey next month.