Don't regret anything: Meloni stands by efforts to woo Trump amid feud

Amid weeks of public sparring over Iran, personal insults and social media posts, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday said she had "no regrets" about trying to build a close relationship with US President Donald Trump.

Speaking after the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, Meloni defended her efforts to build ties with Trump, saying her approach had always been guided by Italy's national interests and her belief in a united West rather than personal politics.

Asked whether she regretted trying to cultivate a close relationship with Trump, Meloni paused, drank a full glass of water and replied firmly: "No, I absolutely don't regret anything I've done."

"I don't regret anything I've done. I made a political investment out of conviction in the unity of the West; I championed it across the board. It’s not a strategy I put in place with the arrival of Donald Trump. I did it with all my counterparts, all the interlocutors I’ve faced," she added.

ONCE CLOSE ALLIES, NOW PUBLICLY AT ODDS

Meloni was once viewed as Trump's ones of the closest political ally in Europe. She was the only European head of government to attend his inauguration and had often been described as a bridge between Washington and European capitals.

But that relationship has steadily deteriorated over the past few months.

The first major crack emerged after Meloni publicly criticised Trump for his attacks on Pope Leo following the pontiff's condemnation of the Iran war. Relations worsened further when Italy refused permission for US military aircraft bound for the Middle East to use the Sigonella air base in Sicily.

Trump later criticised Meloni over Italy's stance on Iran and accused her of failing to support the US during the crisis, although he also described her as "a nice person".

TRUMP CLAIMS MELONI 'BEGGED' HIM FOR A PHOTO

The public spat escalated after Trump claimed Meloni had "begged" him for a photograph at the G7 summit in France. Meloni rejected the allegation, calling it "completely made up" and saying she was "frankly astonished" by the US president's remarks. "There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg," she said in a video posted on social media.

Days later, on the eve of the NATO summit, Trump further fuelled the row by sharing a photograph of Meloni on social media with the caption: "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED."

Meloni declined to respond directly to either remark. Instead, she stressed that despite their recent differences, she still believed they shared common ground on several policy issues.

"Clearly, with Donald Trump there were affinities, there are affinities on some policy issues, from immigration to woke culture, so obviously I thought it could be simpler," she said.

"Things are going as we've seen, but I'm not changing my mind about what Italy's interest is."

AWKWARD MOMENTS AT NATO

The strained relationship was also visible during the NATO summit in Ankara.

Trump and Meloni appeared to avoid each other during parts of the gathering, including a group photo session where there was little visible interaction between the two leaders. Visuals also showed an awkward atmosphere during the NATO leaders' dinner, where the pair kept their distance despite attending the same events.

The unusually frosty optics contrasted sharply with the warm exchanges that had defined their relationship just a year earlier.

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With inputs from agencies