Évian – On the final day of the G7 summit in Évian, France, the focus is strikingly centered on a single person: U.S. President Donald Trump. Europe’s heads of state and government are primarily focused on keeping their American guest happy—and right in the middle of it all is Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The summit is turning into an exercise in diplomatic patience: Rather than pushing their own agenda, the Europeans are currently focused above all on not upsetting Trump and involving him in joint decisions. For Meloni, this is a familiar role. For months, the prime minister has been regarded as one of the few European voices with a direct line to the White House.
Just how personal this relationship is was evident in a brief exchange on the sidelines of the meeting. When asked about the relationship with Washington, Meloni succinctly clarified: „We’ve always been friends.“ The scene underscores how much the prime minister emphasizes her closeness to Trump, even to the outside world.
Meloni as a Bridge Between the EU and Washington
In substance, the final day of the summit yielded a tangible result: The group of seven leading industrialized nations unanimously backed the rapprochement between the U.S. and Iran, which is set to be sealed with an agreement in the coming days. The summit thus provides political backing for the diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.
Not all participants refrained from self-promotion. French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated a „double victory“ on social media—the French team’s success at the World Cup and the outcome of the summit he hosted. For Meloni, what matters in the end is not so much the spectacle as the message that Italy has a say among the major powers and that the transatlantic alliance remains strong.
