In what may be the most symbolically significant European diplomatic meeting of the year, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron at the Villa Eilenroc in Antibes on the French Riviera. The bilateral summit — the first of its kind since a Franco-Italian strategic alliance treaty came into force in 2021 — comes on the heels of a public falling-out between Meloni and US President Donald Trump.
“We need each other,” the French presidency said ahead of the talks, which are expected to focus on defence, nuclear energy, and space cooperation. The summit elevates Franco-Italian relations to a level comparable to that between France and Germany — a significant diplomatic signal at a time when transatlantic relations appear strained.
For Meloni, once seen as one of Trump’s closest ideological allies in Europe, the pivot underscores a recalibration. Meanwhile, in a separate appearance, the Italian leader fondly recalled her 2023 visit to India, telling an audience: “When I arrived, there was a poster with my face and the word ‘Welcome’ every few feet along the road; when I left, the posters showed the same image, but now read ‘Thank you for visiting.'”
