U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for not aligning with Washington and Tel Aviv against what he described as Iran’s “nuclear threat.”
In a social media post on Sunday, June 21, Trump said that Italy, despite benefiting from “trillions of dollars spent on NATO,” is not even considering participation in actions against Iran.
He added, “For decades, we have defended them, but when it is time to defend us, they are not there.”
The U.S. president also said that NATO members are obligated to respond under Article 5 of the alliance’s treaty if one member state comes under attack.
According to reports, relations between Trump and the Italian prime minister have become increasingly strained in recent days. In separate remarks, Trump reportedly said that he posed for a photograph with Meloni at the Group of Seven (G7) summit only out of sympathy.