politics
Italy Cancels Envoy Visit After U.S. President Remarks on G7 Photo
Italy canceled a planned visit by its foreign minister to the United States after comments attributed to the U.S. president about an interaction at the G7 summit. The Italian prime minister responded to the remarks on social media and defended Italy's decision on use of its airfields during the Iran conflict.
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Italy canceled a scheduled visit by its foreign minister to the United States after remarks attributed to the U.S. president about a G7 summit photo. The visit had been set for June 21 and 22. The U.S. president posted on Truth Social that the Italian leader had asked repeatedly for the photo and criticized Italy for not allowing U.S. use of its landing strips during the Iran war.
He also said the Italian leader's popularity had declined. The Italian leader responded on Instagram that the attacks were unprovoked and that use of the airfields is governed by agreements that cannot be violated. She added that her popularity depends on defending Italy's national interest.
Background on the exchange CBS News reported that an Italian television channel quoted the U.S. president saying the Italian leader had begged for the photo and that he felt sorry for her. The network released only a dubbed version, and CBS News stated it could not verify the remarks.
The Italian leader had previously described the G7 atmosphere as positive with no friction between the U.S. president and other leaders. Video showed the two in conversation at the summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on June 16, 2026. The foreign minister wrote on X that the president's words offended all of Italy.
The canceled visit follows earlier public statements by the Italian leader calling the U.S. president's depiction of the interaction made up.
