Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Donald Trump were both in Ankara for the NATO summit on July 8, 2026, where their uneasy relationship once again drew attention after a recent public spat and a brief, awkward moment during the leaders’ official family photo.
The summit, hosted in Türkiye’s capital over July 7-8, brought together NATO leaders for meetings focused on defence spending, alliance unity and support for Ukraine, with Trump’s presence adding fresh drama to an already tense gathering.
The latest friction between Trump and Meloni began last month after Trump claimed in an interview with Italian television that Meloni had asked him for a photo during the G7 summit in France.
He said: “She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.”
Meloni strongly rejected the remark and said Trump had made the story up.
In a statement, she wrote: “Italy and I never beg. Some things deserve an immediate response. I don’t know why the US president behaves this way towards his allies.
“It’s not the first time it’s happened. I can only say it’s unfortunate he doesn’t show the same determination towards the West’s enemies.”
Relations appeared strained again at the summit when the two leaders were seen near each other during the official family photo. Trump walked past Meloni without an obvious acknowledgment, while Meloni briefly smiled before looking down in what some viewers described as an awkward exchange.
The dispute has become one of the more notable side stories of Trump’s return to global summit politics. Meloni had previously cultivated a close relationship with him, but that dynamic has been tested in recent weeks by disagreements over foreign policy and Trump’s public comments.
NEW: In phone call w/@NBCNews, President Trump doubled down on his criticism of Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.
"She was a big fan," he said. "But I don't want her as a fan because she was not there — along with the NATO group — having to do with the Strait."
— Gabe Gutierrez (@gabegutierrez) June 19, 2026
Asked later whether she regretted investing political capital in building ties with Trump, Meloni said she did not.
During an interview with NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez, he said: “She was a big fan. But I don’t want her as a fan because she was not there – along with the NATO group – having to do with the Strait.”
Meloni then said at the end of the NATO summit in Ankara that she had no regrets about trying to work closely with the US president, saying her aim remained Western unity.