Europe still needs US support: Italy tells Rubio
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday that Europe needs the United States, and vice versa, as America’s top diplomat wrapped up two days of fence-mending talks in Italy and the Vatican following weeks of tensions over the US-Israeli war in Iran.
Tajani reaffirmed strong trans-Atlantic ties and said he hoped “tensions have been calmed” with Rubio’s visit.
He said the two discussed the Iran war and spillover into Lebanon, as well as the situation in Venezuela and Cuba. The US Secretary of State also met on Friday with Premier Giorgia Meloni. “I believe things can go in the right direction,” Tajani said.
“I am convinced Europe needs America — Italy needs America — and the United States also needs Europe and Italy.” President Donald Trump’s tariffs, his complaints about Europe’s unwillingness to help the US with the Iran war and his attacks on Pope Leo XIV have fueled weeks of sharp disagreements over trade and defence cooperation between the two traditionally strong allies.
Tajani reaffirmed Friday that Italy stood ready to send in its navy to help demine the Strait of Hormuz once a permanent ceasefire is reached with Iran, and to maintain its already strong presence in Lebanon with the UN peacekeeping mission.
He said he told Rubio that Italy considers the presence of US troops in Europe to reinforce NATO important, a reference to Trump’s threats to pull back America’s troops. The State Department, for its part, said Rubio raised efforts to “promote freedom of navigation and maritime security,” as well as a need for an end to the war in Ukraine, and for Western nations to protect their economic interests. Trump has criticised both the Pope and Italy’s government for opposing the Iran war.
Meloni has called the US-Israeli bombing “illegal” and rebuked Trump’s remarks about the pontiff as “unacceptable.” Trump has responded by accusing Meloni of lacking courage and being “negative” on helping the US with the war. Meloni had long been seen as one of Trump’s top allies in Europe, but Trump has openly said their relationship has cooled.
Italy remains firmly opposed to the war with Iran. The US has announced a decision to pull 5,000 military personnel from Germany, and Trump has threatened to withdraw more troops from Italy and Spain over their stance on the war.
Italy, a key logistics hub for US and allied operations in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa, could see its role affected if troop levels are reduced, raising concerns about NATO’s posture in southern Europe. Defence cooperation was already tested in late March, when Italy declined to allow US bombers bound for the West Asia to land at Sigonella base in Sicily without Government approval.
