{"id":128265,"date":"2026-06-25T18:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?p=128265"},"modified":"2026-06-25T18:32:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:32:38","slug":"need-each-other-frances-macron-to-host-italys-meloni-after-trump-rift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/128265\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Need each other&#8217;: France&#8217;s Macron to host Italy&#8217;s Meloni after Trump rift"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Web desk(National Times)- Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, fresh from a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/2009272\">spat<\/a>\u00a0with US leader Donald Trump, was set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday to tighten ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of Europe\u2019s most prominent right-wing leaders will arrive in the resort of Antibes on the French Riviera for her first bilateral summit with Macron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The talks, set to begin Tuesday afternoon, mark the first Franco-Italian summit since a treaty on a strategic alliance came into force in 2021, elevating relations to a level comparable to that between France and Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis summit will provide an opportunity to deepen Franco-Italian cooperation in several strategic sectors, notably defence, nuclear energy, and space,\u201d the French presidency said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe need each other,\u201d it said ahead of the talks at the Villa Eilenroc, a dazzling 19th-century residence overlooking the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Relations have often been strained between Macron, a pro-European centrist, and Meloni, who leads a coalition of right and far-right parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the leaders of the European Union\u2019s (EU) second- and third-largest economies are far from natural allies, they have worked to ease tensions \u2014 notably during a lengthy one-on-one meeting in Rome in June last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In April, as leaders gathered in Paris for a&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/4\/17\/macron-and-starmer-host-allies-for-summit-on-hormuz-maritime-security\">summit<\/a>&nbsp;on securing the Strait of Hormuz, Meloni arrived at the Elysee in a red Alfa Romeo. Macron greeted the Italian leader with an enthusiastic double kiss that appeared to catch her off guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A video that went viral showed Meloni visibly surprised before both laughed it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/2010799\/need-each-other-frances-macron-to-host-italys-meloni-after-trump-rift#asymmetry\"><\/a>\u2018Asymmetry\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marc Lazar, an Italy specialist at Sciences Po in Paris, said Meloni and Macron would try to build on a nascent rapprochement, despite lingering disagreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere will be photos, they\u2019ll kiss each other warmly on both cheeks, and she\u2019ll stop sulking when she sees Macron,\u201d Lazar said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meloni had long sought to position herself as a bridge between Europe and Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But following a G7 summit in France, Meloni has distanced herself from the US leader over what she called his \u201cconstant, unprovoked attacks\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat can only please Emmanuel Macron,\u201d Lazar added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sergio Fabbrini, political science lecturer at Rome\u2019s Luiss University, said Meloni had used her relationship with Trump \u201cto weaken the European Union\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNow she finds herself without Trump and is forced to return to the European Union, particularly in terms of defence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fabbrini said Macron was strong at the European level, but weak at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By contrast, \u201cMeloni is very strong domestically, but weak at the European level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis asymmetry makes the meeting difficult and complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Macron and Meloni share common ground on some issues, including opposition to the European Union\u2019s free trade agreement with South America\u2019s Mercosur bloc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But they remain divided on others, such as Italy\u2019s push for migrant detention centres outside the EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike Macron, Meloni opposes sending Italian troops to Ukraine, even in a post-war scenario, to provide security guarantees to Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Thursday, the two countries are expected to sign a roadmap on defence, notably emphasising the Franco-Italian SAMP\/T air defence system delivered to Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A cooperation agreement will also be signed in nuclear energy, along with another on the planned European satellite powerhouse to rival Elon Musk\u2019s Starlink.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Web desk(National Times)- Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, fresh from a\u00a0spat\u00a0with US leader Donald Trump, was set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday to tighten ties. One of Europe\u2019s most prominent right-wing leaders will arrive in the resort of Antibes on the French Riviera for her first bilateral summit with Macron. The talks, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":128266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&#039;Need each other&#039;: France&#039;s Macron to host Italy&#039;s Meloni after Trump rift - Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/128265\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&#039;Need each other&#039;: France&#039;s Macron to host Italy&#039;s Meloni after Trump rift - Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Web desk(National Times)- Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, fresh from a\u00a0spat\u00a0with US leader Donald Trump, was set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday to tighten ties. 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The talks, [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/128265\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-25T13:32:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-25T13:32:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-19-11.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"670\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"370\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"humza Jahangir\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"humza Jahangir\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/128265\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/128265\/\",\"name\":\"'Need each other': France's Macron to host Italy's Meloni after Trump rift - Nation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/128265\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/128265\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-19-11.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-25T13:32:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-25T13:32:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/27efa35fa76e99f3ad7e7397d7332c16\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/128265\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/128265\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/128265\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-19-11.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-19-11.png\",\"width\":670,\"height\":370},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/128265\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"&#8216;Need each other&#8217;: France&#8217;s Macron to host Italy&#8217;s Meloni after Trump rift\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/\",\"name\":\"Nation\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/27efa35fa76e99f3ad7e7397d7332c16\",\"name\":\"humza Jahangir\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/43feedd99bd6a90080d1621b7e6604364acb673ee979d3ffe5075557c14c68b9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/43feedd99bd6a90080d1621b7e6604364acb673ee979d3ffe5075557c14c68b9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"humza Jahangir\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/author\/humza\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"'Need each other': France's Macron to host Italy's Meloni after Trump rift - Nation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/128265\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"'Need each other': France's Macron to host Italy's Meloni after Trump rift - Nation","og_description":"Web desk(National Times)- Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, fresh from a\u00a0spat\u00a0with US leader Donald Trump, was set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday to tighten ties. 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