Rome: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump held a "clarification meeting" on the sidelines of the G7 summit, following months of tensions between the two leaders.

According to Anadolu Agency, Italian media reported that the discussion at Monday night's leaders' dinner was one of several opportunities for talks during the summit and was described as a "useful exchange." During the meeting, Meloni reaffirmed the principle of Western unity, emphasizing its necessity in this time of significant international crisis.

Italian officials stated that the exchange served to clarify matters, while stressing that the prime minister was not seeking any specific communication signals from the American president. The report, citing Italian diplomatic sources, mentioned that Meloni had previously sought clarity on some of President Trump's public statements, with both parties acknowledging the importance of unity-a concept the prime minister consistently emphasizes.

The talks followed a period of strained relations between the two leaders, who had once been seen as close political allies. Meloni was the sole European leader invited to Trump's inauguration last year. However, tensions surfaced after Italy's refusal to allow certain US aircraft bound for the Middle East to use the Sigonella Air Base in Sicily.

Concurrently, Pope Leo XIV expressed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, condemning the conditions there amid the ongoing Israeli genocide that began in October 2023 and criticized the US-Israeli war on Iran. Trump responded on April 12 by labeling the pope as "weak and terrible on foreign policy."

Meloni entered the dispute the following day, denouncing Trump's remarks about the pope as "unacceptable." In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on April 14, Trump criticized Meloni, expressing his shock over her reluctance to support the US in the war against Iran.