Overview
- Italy’s prime minister publicly rebuked the U.S. president’s attack on the Pope, after which he labeled her unacceptable and accused her of weakness on Iran.
- A Russian state TV personality, Vladimir Solovyov, insulted her on air, and Italy responded by summoning Moscow’s ambassador to lodge a formal complaint.
- SWG-La7 polling shows her approval has recovered to about pre-referendum levels, suggesting the confrontations strengthened her standing with Italian voters.
- Opposition leader Elly Schlein and President Sergio Mattarella defended Italy’s sovereignty in response to the foreign attacks, creating rare unity behind Meloni.
- Earlier in April she suspended the automatic renewal of a defense pact with Israel, underscoring a recalibration that analysts tie to her pro-NATO, pro-Ukraine stance and constraints from EU ties and coalition partners.