Premier Italian Giorgio Meloni on Saturday she was received by the president-elect Donald Trump on the night from Saturday to Sunday (Polish time) in the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
The leaders were scheduled to talk during the meeting about relations within NATOas well as about the situation in Ukraine. According to Bloomberg reports, citing sources familiar with the matter, there was also another purpose of the visit.
As stated, Italy is in advanced talks with Elon Musk's SpaceX regarding a contract to provide telecommunications services to the government. The negotiations have recently remained at an impasse. The situation was changed by the visit of the Prime Minister.
Negotiations are ongoing. Italy's agreement with Elon Musk's SpaceX
There is a negotiated contract the largest such project in Europeis worth EUR 1.5 billionoi is intended to provide “a full range of first-class encryption solutions for government telephone and internet services.”
Currently, the contract has not been concluded yet. However, according to the agencythe project was approved by the Italian intelligence services and the Ministry of Defense.
“A possible agreement has been considered since mid-2023. It is opposed by some Italian officials who are concerned about the negative effects it may have on local suppliers” – reports Bloomberg.
Donald Trump delighted with Giorgia Meloni. “She conquered Europe”
Also present during Trump's meeting with Meloni were candidate for US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and future national security adviser Mike Waltz. – I'm here with a fantastic woman, the Prime Minister of Italy. She really took Europe by storm, said the president-elect.
After the US elections, Donald Trump has met so far, among others: with the Prime Minister Hungarian Viktor Orban and the Prime Minister Canada Justin Trudeau.