Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday at 15:30 Belgian time, according to an announcement from her government.
The discussions will focus on “relations between the European Union and the United States,” currently entangled in a tariff war, as stated in a brief communication. The three officials will also attend Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass in Rome.
Key international issues, likely including the war in Ukraine, will be part of the agenda. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, also in Rome, shook hands with JD Vance on Sunday, marking their first meeting since the tense encounter between US President Donald Trump and Zelensky at the White House in late February.
Sunday’s talks might set the stage for a meeting between Trump and von der Leyen, aimed at reaching a top-level political agreement on trade policy. The US has imposed tariffs of 25% on European steel, aluminium, and auto parts, as well as 10% on most other products.
A general tariff increase was paused for 90 days, prompting the EU to suspend its countermeasures on steel and aluminium tariffs, allowing negotiations to proceed, primarily at the technical level.
Meloni, known for her right-wing political stance, is among the few EU leaders with a strong relationship with Donald Trump. She visited him in Washington DC late April and invited him to Italy, where a meeting with EU leaders could also occur. Trump accepted the invitation, but no concrete plans have emerged yet.
Trump and Von der Leyen had a brief exchange at Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome, agreeing to meet again at a later date.
