Meloni cautious on Trump, focus on Iran with Merz and Starmer

The crucial moment at the G7 for Giorgia Meloni is her meeting with Donald Trump. It is not clear whether it will be a real bilateral meeting or a more informal moment. There will certainly be contacts - Italian sources say on the eve of the start of the summit in Canada - which will inevitably focus on the new war between Israel and Iran, in a scenario further shaken by the announcement by the American president on the openness to a role for Vladimir Putin as mediator in this conflict. A position that has also taken Rome by surprise. The scenario makes negotiations between the sherpas of the seven countries even more complex, in which Palazzo Chigi's diplomatic advisor Fabrizio Saggio is involved. The situation requires caution. Even for those like Meloni, among the other six at the table, who is probably the leader politically closest to Trump. The prime minister (who, as in other international meetings, brought her daughter Ginevra with her to Kananaskis) has dictated to her government in recent days a line focused on the need for de-escalation and to keep a line of dialogue open. But Trump's idea that Putin, considered by Italy to be responsible for the aggression against Ukraine and the main obstacle to peace, could mediate is a novelty that could at the very least create uncertainty if not embarrassment. For now, no comment from Palazzo Chigi. For months, the prime minister has been convinced that it is not useful to respond immediately to the tycoon's announcements. We will see what the indications coming from President Trump will actually be, Italian sources limit themselves to saying. We are waiting for the American's bilateral meetings with the various leaders, and then tomorrow evening's working dinner, dedicated to geopolitical issues, and therefore to all the crises, starting with the one between Tehran and Tel Aviv.

The attempt is to reach that moment with a coordinated position with European partners, and the bilateral meetings with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, on Meloni's agenda for this first day in the Rocky Mountains of the province of Alberta, are going in that direction. It remains to be seen whether there will also be one with Emmanuel Macron or a meeting between Europeans. The next objective, according to leaks from Italian sources, is to reach general coordination with Washington, with which "there is no misalignment". Much depends on the direction the debate takes. But certainly, the same sources underline, it is important that the G7 gives clear indications on this crisis, "also because of the importance that this format must continue to have". The discussions on the Middle East will inevitably intertwine with those on Ukraine, at the center of a dedicated working session on Tuesday, with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who could also have a meeting with Meloni. And the epilogue of the G7 is no less uncertain on the tariffs chapter, about twenty days before the expiration of the suspension of US tariffs towards the EU: the issue will be at the centre of the discussions between European leaders, but it remains to be seen - explains those who closely follow the dossiers on the table - whether there will be room to address it also with the American counterpart.

On this eve dominated by uncertainties, Meloni claims two results: the choice of the Canadian presidency to deal with the migration issue in continuity with the Italian G7, and that of approving an ad hoc declaration at the end of the summit.