Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday (May 8) at a moment of unusual strain between her government and President Donald Trump's administration, driven largely by the war with Iran.

Rubio is in Italy for a two-day trip aimed at easing ties with Pope Leo after unprecedented attacks on the pontiff by Trump, while also addressing Washington's frustration over Italy's refusal to support the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Meloni had been one of Trump's firmest supporters in Europe, cultivating close ties with him and presenting herself as a natural bridge between Washington and other EU states that had no natural political affinity with the Republican U.S. leader.

But that alignment has come under increasing strain in recent months, as the Iran war has forced her to balance loyalty to the United States against Italian public animosity to the war and the growing economic cost of the conflict.

Meloni and Rubio were expected to discuss the situation in the Gulf, as well as Russia's war on Ukraine, U.S. tariffs on European goods and the outlook for Cuba, which Washington is seeking to isolate both diplomatically and economically.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

ROME, ITALY (MAY 8, 2026) (GOVERNMENT TV - Access all) (MUTE)

1. UNITED STATES AND ITALIAN FLAGS

2. VARIOUS OF ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI ARRIVING FOR MEETING

3. MELONI SHAKING HANDS WITH U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO

4. UNITED STATES, ITALIAN AND EUROPEAN UNION FLAGS

5. MELONI SHAKING HANDS WITH RUBIO

6. MELONI AND RUBIO WALKING

7. MELONI AND RUBIO WALKING / TAKING SEATS

8. MELONI LOOKING ON

9. RUBIO LOOKING ON