Trump calls Italian PM Meloni a "nice person" despite recent "restraining order needed" social media post

Speaking during a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Trump said he and Meloni had maintained a cordial relationship despite recent differences.

"I think she's a nice person; actually, we've had a good week. We had a bad relationship. It became a little bad because she refused to help us again," Trump said, according to CNN.

"I think she's a nice person, actually. But I think she made a mistake," he added, referring to Italy's refusal to assist the United States in the war in Iran.

Trump also said he did not put a "heavy press" on Meloni to provide assistance and that after Italy declined to get involved, "it soured my relationship with her a little bit," CNN reported. The remarks come days after a public exchange between Trump and Meloni. On Sunday (local time), Trump shared a photograph with the Italian Prime Minister on Truth Social with the caption, "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED."

The latest tensions follow Trump's criticism of NATO allies, including Meloni, over Italy's refusal to support US military efforts against Iran. In a Truth Social post last month, Trump accused some allies of failing to back the US despite decades of American security commitments.

The disagreement marked a sharp shift in relations between the two leaders, who had previously maintained cordial ties.

Trump had earlier claimed that Meloni had "begged" him for a photograph, a claim the Italian Prime Minister rejected, saying, "Neither I nor Italy ever beg."

Despite the recent war of words, Italy remains a key US ally within NATO.

Meloni has previously stressed that bilateral ties extend beyond the leaders in office, saying, "These relationships don't begin or end because of who happens to be in power at a particular moment." She added, "Foreign policy is more complex than that." (ANI)