Meloni’s visit to Trump is an attempt to save transatlantic relations – Rezazade

US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, during a meeting in the Oval Office, expressed confidence that the US and the European Union will be able to conclude a new trade agreement before the end of the 90-day moratorium on tariffs announced by the Trump administration.

The leaders stressed the importance of transatlantic unity and economic cooperation amid geopolitical challenges.

Meloni said she is “seeking to make the West great again” — reinterpreting Trump’s slogan in a European context. Trump, in turn, called Maloney “an outstanding leader” and assured that “a deal with the EU will be done.”

Ali Reza Rezazade, the first vice president of the Iranian opposition in Washington, said in his assessment that the meeting was “an attempt to restore trust between the parties after months of tariff tensions and disputes over energy, technology and defense.”

“Meloni is now acting as an unofficial mediator between Brussels and Washington, which gives her unique geopolitical weight,” Rezazade said. “But despite the warm words, key issues remain unresolved. The EU wants parity, the US wants advantages. There will be no agreement without compromise.”

Rezazadeh also notes the context: at the same time as the trade announcements, the US Supreme Court agreed to consider Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship, and an appeals court criticized the administration for illegally deporting a man to El Salvador. “These parallel events indicate the ambition, but also the risk, of Trump’s current policy,” he added.

The Trump- Meloni meeting demonstrates a desire on both sides to find common ground at a time of global instability. However, as Rezazadeh summarizes, “there is often a gap between rhetoric and reality — and it is the negotiations in the coming weeks that will show whether there is a willingness to bridge it.”