European leaders hope that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni can persuade U.S. President Donald Trump not to impose tariffs on the EU and to continue supporting Ukraine, according to the Financial Times on Thursday.

He hails a fantastic woman sweeping all before her in Europe. She praises a strong and shrewd defender of the West. Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni are fast forging a new transatlantic "special relationship".

Giorgia Meloni’s presence at Donald Trump’s inauguration aimed to reinforce her status as a privileged interlocutor with the new US administration. But this position carries risks for Italy and the EU.

Italy will work to strengthen dialogue between the European Union and the United States, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on congratulating President Donald Trump on his return to the White House. "Italy will always work to strengthen the dialogue between the US and Europe,

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose rise to power in Rome two years ago sparked panic among the European political establishment, may now be the continent’s best hope to have one of its own in the good graces of the Trump White House.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will attend U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, officials from her office said on Friday, in a trip that should further strengthen her ties with the U.