Macron and Meloni seek closer ties after Trump rift

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, fresh from a spat with US leader Donald Trump, has met French President Emmanuel Macron to build on a nascent rapprochement and tighten ties.

One of Europe's most prominent right-wing leaders arrived in the resort of Antibes on the French Riviera for her first bilateral summit with Mr Macron.

The talks marked 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.

Smiling broadly, the two leaders exchanged kisses and briefly held hands as the French host welcomed Ms Meloni outside the Picasso Museum in Antibes.

"Come, come," Mr Macron called out as he took Ms Meloni on a private tour of the museum.

The French presidency said the summit would be an opportunity to deepen cooperation in strategic sectors such as defence, nuclear energy, and space.

"We need each other," it said ahead of the talks at the Villa Eilenroc, a 19th-century residence overlooking the Mediterranean.

Relations have often been strained between Mr Macron, a pro-European centrist, and Ms Meloni, who leads a coalition of right and far-right parties.

While the leaders of the European Union's second and third largest economies are far from natural allies, they have worked to ease tensions, notably during a lengthy one-on-one meeting in Rome in June last year.

In April, as leaders gathered in Paris for a summit on securing the Strait of Hormuz, Ms Meloni arrived at the Elysee in a red Alfa Romeo. Mr Macron greeted the Italian leader with an enthusiastic double kiss that appeared to catch her off guard.

A video that went viral showed Ms Meloni visibly surprised before both laughed it off.

Trump 'very upset'

Ms Meloni had long sought to position herself as a bridge between Europe and Mr Trump.

But following a G7 summit in France, Ms Meloni has distanced herself from the US leader over what she called his "constant, unprovoked attacks".

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that it was "unfortunate" that Italy had cancelled an official visit to the United States, adding that Mr Trump was "very upset" with developments.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had been due to travel to Miami earlier this week for a business conference with Mr Rubio, but the State Department confirmed the event had been canceled.

"It was unfortunate that an event like that got interrupted," Mr Rubio told reporters during a visit to Bahrain.

"I thought they should have still come, but that said, we had some agreements ready to sign. We're still going to get them signed soon. We'll just find a place to do it," he said.

"Our relations with Italy continue unimpeded at... all the levels. Obviously, the president is very upset," Mr Rubio added.

"He feels like not just Italy, but other countries, in a time in which we were confronting a threat, not just to us, but more particularly to Europe, many European countries did not step up and do enough.

"I'm sure those points will come up again during the NATO summit" in Turkey next month, he said.