Meloni meets Zelensky at Pope Leo XIV's mass, then at Chigi with Vance and von der Leyen

The canvas to be woven, once again under the dome of St. Peter's, in the days of fibrillation with European allies, the long-distance exchanges with Macron, the stakes against personalisms. At the mass Meloni embraces Zelensky, there is also a meeting with Israeli President Herzog in the news, naturally the best wishes to the new Pope, then off to Palazzo Chigi for the most important appointment. It is not the face-to-face meeting between Europe and the United States that he had imagined before flying to Washington a month ago, because shaking hands with Ursula von der Leyen, in front of photographers in the seat of government, is not Donald Trump but his deputy. An initiative appreciated in any case, the guests say that the last time they saw each other was in early February, an era ago, before the offensive on tariffs and the differences on Kiev cracked the Atlantic axis.

“A West that clearly wants to maintain its unity, that wants to maintain its strength, that must still be able to chart the course. Italy’s role is above all a role linked to the need to promote and the desire to promote dialogue,” says Meloni. On trade, Vance admits, there are distances, but dialogue can restart. It is von der Leyen who brings to the table, in addition to the rearmament dossier, the Ukraine issue. We are united, she says, by the desire for a just and lasting peace. Vance nods, the meeting lasts an hour, constructive, a step forward for unity, the prime minister claims later on social media. In the same hours, however, news arrives of another initiative, the Volenterosi of which Meloni is not part, they will hear from Trump again before the crucial phone call, tomorrow, with Putin.