Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called for Western unity, a strong US-European relationship, and continued support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.
“Europe is far from lost, and it will never be lost,” Meloni said in a video address to the right-wing Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday.
Meloni expressed confidence in former US President Donald Trump, who also spoke at the conference.“Our opponents hope that President Trump will distance himself from us. But he is a strong and effective leader, and I believe those hoping for division will be proven wrong,” the Italian Prime Minister stated.
Balancing conservative rhetoric with broader geopolitical concerns, Meloni criticised leftist ideologies, the elites, “woke movements”, “cancel culture,” and mainstream media. She emphasised the importance of unity among Western countries against both internal and external threats.
The Italian leader praised a recent speech by US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference. In his speech, Vance sharply criticised European allies, accusing them of limiting free speech and endangering democracy. Meloni agreed, saying that Vance rightly pointed out, “before we talk about security, we must know what we are defending.”
She also warned of a potential trade war between the US and Europe, which could benefit other major powers.
“Happiness depends on freedom, and freedom depends on courage,” Meloni said about the war in Ukraine. “We must continue to work together for a just and sustainable peace, a peace that can only be built with the contribution of everyone, especially strong leaders.” According to Meloni, this is what Trump stands for.
