Meloni and Trump clash over Iran at NATO summit in Ankara

Diplomatic tensions between the United States and Italy dominated the opening of NATO's summit in Ankara, as leaders of the 32-nation alliance gathered to reassert collective defence commitments. US President Donald Trump tempered his earlier social media attacks on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but restated his grievance that Rome had refused to support Washington's posture on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. The two-day summit, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, also set the stage for a separate bilateral between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while Russian forces launched a fresh ballistic missile assault on Kyiv during the night.

The dinner diplomacy

The first evening's state dinner set the scene for a wary encounter. Meloni, wearing a black trouser suit, was the last head of government to land in Ankara (at 19:46) and arrived after the palace doors had closed; she was escorted to the top table alongside Trump, Erdoğan, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister (resigning) Keir Starmer. Meloni told waiting reporters that relations were "cordial," and when pressed about the recent insults, added: "I already answered you." Her staff played down the seating arrangement, saying it was merely the G7 table.

Relations are cordial.

Trump, who only hours earlier had used a Truth Social post with a meme demanding a "restraining order" against the Italian premier, softened his language during an afternoon press conference with Erdoğan. He described Meloni as "a good person" who "I like," but insisted she had "made an error" by staying out of the Iran crisis.

I like her, she is a good person, but I think she made a mistake.

The Iran rift

The personal friction stems from a substantive policy disagreement. Trump has repeatedly blamed Meloni for not backing US-led efforts in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for global oil shipments. According to officials, the dispute crystallised around Rome's refusal to grant the United States access to NATO bases, notably Sigonella in Sicily, for operations linked to Iran. Trump emphasised that the United States does not need the strait itself.

The United States has so much oil, more than anyone else, we don't need Hormuz. We intervened because we thought it was important. She wasn't there for us, and I wasn't happy about it.

The Italian government has not publicly responded to the accusation, but Rome's posture reflects broader European unease about being drawn into a military escalation with Tehran.

Summit proceedings

Beyond the bilateral drama, the summit's agenda focused on boosting defence expenditure and sustaining military aid to Ukraine. On 7 July, Trump attended a bilateral meeting with Erdoğan during which he accused European allies of underspending and mused about withdrawing US troops from Europe. He also raised the prospect of "controlling" Greenland. Foreign ministers from the E5 group (France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom) together with Turkey and the EU held a breakout session convened by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. The summit is due to conclude later today with a final press conference by Secretary General Rutte.

Overnight strikes on Kyiv

While diplomats talked in Ankara, Russia pummelled the Ukrainian capital with ballistic missiles. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reported "at least five powerful explosions" and urged residents to stay in shelters. The attack came just hours before Trump was scheduled to meet Zelensky at the summit. Klitschko said the city's air defences had been activated. The timing appeared aimed at testing allied resolve as NATO leaders debated fresh guarantees for Ukraine.

The enemy is attacking the capital with ballistic missiles.