意大利總理梅洛尼在特朗普和歐洲效忠之間左右為難

Italy's Meloni torn between Trump and European allegiance

十國集團 (G10) 在布魯塞爾舉行會議意大利總理喬治婭·梅洛尼於 2025 年 3 月 20 日在比利時布魯塞爾出席十國集團 (G10) 移民早餐會。OLIVIER HOSLET/Pool via REUTERS/文件照片購買許可權，打開新標簽
摘要
梅洛尼努力平衡對特朗普的崇拜與歐盟關係
批評者指責梅洛尼在歐盟內部孤立意大利
梅洛尼加入歐盟防務運動的壓力越來越大
羅馬，3 月 21 日（路透社）——意大利總理喬治婭·梅洛尼發現自己在扮演政治角色在歐洲加強防禦之際，梅洛尼采取平衡行動。
分析人士稱，梅洛尼是一位民族主義者，對美國總統唐納德·特朗普深表欽佩。她正在努力調和她與華盛頓的意識形態本能與意大利與歐盟的戰略關係之間日益擴大的鴻溝。
路透社每日簡報提供您開始一天所需的所有新聞。在此注冊。

梅洛尼是唯一一位出席特朗普 1 月就職典禮的歐盟領導人，盡管特朗普對歐洲征收關稅並威脅放棄與俄羅斯的戰爭中的烏克蘭，但她仍小心翼翼地避免對這位美國總統提出任何批評。

雖然她參加了與歐洲夥伴的緊急會談，討論如何應對特朗普外交政策造成的動蕩，但她的參與有時似乎並不熱情，促使國內批評者指責她在歐盟內孤立意大利。
自 2022 年以來一直掌權的梅洛尼在本周參加歐洲領導人峰會時否認了她受到特朗普影響的說法。

“我不會盲目追隨歐洲或美國……我在歐洲是因為意大利在歐洲，所以我們並不是想去其他地方，但我也希望西方團結一致，”她對議會表示。

自從梅洛尼於 2012 年創立意大利兄弟組織以來，她一直將與美國的密切關係置於外交政策的核心，同時淡化最初強烈的歐洲懷疑主義。

特朗普在尋求增強美國實力時對老盟友采取的強硬手段讓親大西洋主義者措手不及，同時迫使歐洲匆忙審查其地緣政治選擇並加強防禦。
動蕩局勢使梅洛尼希望充當歐洲與白宮之間橋梁的希望落空，歐洲兩大核大國法國和英國率先對特朗普作出回應，而德國則因計劃大舉支出擴充軍力而成為頭條新聞。

“目前，梅洛尼沒有能力在特朗普麵前扮演調解角色，”羅馬路易斯大學政治學教授喬瓦尼·奧爾西納說。

“如果特朗普主義進入第二個更具建設性的階段，她或許能夠發揮作用，利用政治和個人親和力。”

國防預算
上個月，特朗普在白宮猛烈抨擊烏克蘭總統澤連斯基後，梅洛尼呼籲美國及其盟友“立即舉行峰會”，但華盛頓無視了她的呼籲。
梅洛尼辦公室一位不願透露姓名的消息人士稱，這位意大利領導人正尋求在 3 月下旬或 4 月初與特朗普舉行會晤，屆時歐盟將對價值 260 億歐元（280 億美元）的美國商品征收反關稅，以回應美國對鋼鐵和鋁征收的關稅。

梅洛尼在本周對議會的講話中質疑報複性關稅的合理性，並敦促歐洲在北約內部繼續與美國進行軍事合作。
特朗普暗示他未來可能不會保護北約成員國，歐盟委員會對此感到不安，已製定計劃將歐盟的軍事開支增加 8000 億歐元（8690 億美元），而法國則提出考慮將其核保護傘擴大到歐洲盟友。

“歐洲應該做好自己的準備，但認為今天歐洲可以在沒有北約的情況下獨自完成任務，這在最好的情況下是天真的，在最壞的情況下是瘋狂的，”梅洛尼說，他拒絕透露負債累累的意大利是否會增加自己的國防預算。
意大利是北約國防支出最少的國家之一——2024 年僅占國內生產總值的 1.5%，遠低於北約要求成員國應支出的 2% 門檻，也遠低於特朗普要求的 5%。
外交官們說，這削弱了她在華盛頓的地位。
“特朗普的觀點是每個人都必須付錢，”曾在第一屆特朗普政府工作的美國前北約大使庫爾特·沃爾克說。
他告訴路透社：“在談到意大利之前，他可能會挑出其他國家……但意大利會成為他的目標。”
意大利工業
盡管麵臨美國的壓力，但梅洛尼仍麵臨聯盟盟友極右翼聯盟的反對，反對其加入歐盟委員會的“重新武裝”項目。
“試著問問我們的母親們是怎麽想的。……你”

你會發現他們都說了同樣的話。 “‘不’，”經濟部長、聯盟資深成員吉安卡洛·喬爾傑蒂 (Giancarlo Giorgetti) 說。
意大利公眾對國防開支的支持很少，教皇方濟各的反戰立場在這裏引起了共鳴。IPSOS 本月的一項民意調查顯示，39% 的選民反對重新武裝，28% 的選民支持，其餘的選民尚未決定。
然而，如果梅洛尼回避該項目，意大利規模龐大的軍備工業，包括萊昂納多和芬坎蒂尼等重量級企業，可能會錯失良機。

“人們應該明白，現在是國防工業擴張、發展和創造新就業機會的重要時刻，如果意大利不考慮這種可能性，那將很奇怪，”歐盟國防事務專員安德裏烏斯·庫比利烏斯周三告訴記者。
意大利國際事務研究所智庫負責人納塔莉·托奇表示，梅洛尼不能無限期地在華盛頓和布魯塞爾之間搖擺不定。
“她的心與美國同在，但最終她會聽從自己的大腦，她的大腦告訴她意大利在歐洲。我們的經濟與德國緊密相連，你無法改變這一點，”她說。
（這個故事已被更正，在第 5 段中說梅洛尼自 2022 年以來一直掌權，而不是 2023 年）
作者：Crispian Balmer 編輯：Frances Kerry

英國類別希思羅機場下令調查關閉，旅客忍受數天的混亂

歐洲類別巴黎居民將投票決定增加 500 條步行街

意大利部長表示，與馬斯克的 Starlink 的談判陷入停滯

世界類別英國首相斯塔默表示，特朗普對歐洲防務承諾的看法有道理，紐約時報報道

世界類別美國與烏克蘭和俄羅斯的談判中存在哪些問題？

世界類別美國特使維特科夫對烏克蘭談判持樂觀態度，稱普京希望和平

Italy's Meloni torn between Trump and European allegiance

By  and   March 21, 2025
 
Group of Ten (G10) meeting in BrusselsItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends a Group of Ten (G10) breakfast on migration in Brussels, Belgium, 20 March 2025. OLIVIER HOSLET/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
  • Summary
  • Meloni battles to balance Trump admiration with EU ties
  • Critics accuse Meloni of isolating Italy within EU
  • Pressure builds on Meloni to join EU defence drive
ROME, March 21 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni finds herself playing a political balancing act as Europe moves to bolster its defences.
A nationalist with deep admiration for U.S. President Donald Trump, she is battling to reconcile the growing gulf between her ideological instincts, which lie with Washington, and Italy's strategic ties to the European Union, analysts say.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Meloni was the only EU leader to attend Trump's inauguration in January and has carefully steered clear of any criticism of the U.S. president, even as he has hit Europe with tariffs and threatened to abandon Ukraine in its war with Russia.
 
While she has taken part in emergency talks with European partners on how to navigate the upheavals caused by Trump's foreign policy, her engagement at times has seemed unenthusiastic, prompting critics at home to accuse her of isolating Italy within the EU.
Meloni, who has been in power since 2022, dismissed suggestions that she was under the sway of Trump as she headed into a summit of European leaders this week.
"I don't blindly follow either Europe or the United States ... I am in Europe because Italy is in Europe, so it's not like we're thinking of going somewhere else, but I also want the West to be compact," she told parliament.
 
Ever since Meloni founded her Brothers of Italy group in 2012, she has placed close ties with the United States at the heart of her foreign policy, while watering down initial, fierce euroscepticism.
Trump's strong-arm tactics with old allies as he looks to enhance American power has wrong-footed pro-Atlanticists, while forcing Europe to hastily review its geopolitical options and shore up its defences.
The turmoil has put on hold Meloni's hopes of serving as a bridge between Europe and the White House, with Europe's two nuclear powers France and Britain taking the lead in forging a response to Trump, while Germany grabs headlines with plans for a huge spending splurge to scale up its military.
 
"Right now, Meloni does not have the leverage to play a mediating role with Trump," said Giovanni Orsina, a politics professor at Rome's Luiss University.
"If Trumpism enters a second, more constructive phase, she might be able to play a role, leveraging political and personal affinities."

DEFENCE BUDGET

Meloni last month called for an "immediate summit" between the United States and its allies after Trump lambasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the White House, but Washington ignored her appeal.
Sources in Meloni's office, who declined to be named, said the Italian leader was seeking a meeting with Trump later in March or early April, when the European Union is due to impose counter tariffs on 26 billion euros ($28 billion) worth of U.S. goods in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium.
 
In her address to parliament this week, Meloni questioned the wisdom of retaliatory tariffs and urged Europe to continue its military cooperation with the United States inside NATO.
Spooked by Trump's suggestion he might not defend NATO members in future, the European Commission has laid out plans to boost the bloc's military spending by 800 billion euros ($869 billion), while France has offered to consider extending its nuclear umbrella to European allies.
 
"It is right that Europe equips itself to do its part, but it is at best naive, at worst mad to think that today it can be done alone without NATO," Meloni said, declining to say if heavily indebted Italy would ramp up its own defence budget.
Italy is one of the countries that spends least on defence in NATO -- just 1.5% of gross domestic product in 2024, well below the 2% threshold NATO says members should spend and far from the 5% demanded by Trump.
This has undercut her standing in Washington, diplomats say.
"Trump's perspective is that everybody must pay," said Kurt Volker, a former U.S. NATO ambassador who worked with the first Trump administration.
"He will probably single out other countries before he gets to Italy ... But it'll be in his sights," he told Reuters.

ITALIAN INDUSTRY

Despite U.S. pressure, Meloni faces opposition from her coalition ally, the far-right League, not to join the European Commission's "ReArm" project.
"Try and ask our mothers what they think. ... You'll see they all say the same thing. 'No'," said Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, a senior League member.
There is little public support for defence spending in Italy, where the anti-war stance of Pope Francis resonates. An IPSOS opinion poll this month said 39% of voters were opposed to ReArm against 28% in favour, with the rest undecided.
However, Italy's sizeable armaments industry, including heavy weights such as Leonardo and Fincantieri, risks missing out on a bonanza if Meloni shuns the project.
 
"What people should understand is that now is a very important time for the defence industry to expand, to grow and to create new jobs and it would be strange if Italy did not look into such a possibility," European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius told reporters on Wednesday.
Nathalie Tocci, head of Italy's Institute of International Affairs think tank, said Meloni could not indefinitely sit on the fence between Washington and Brussels.
"Her heart lies with America, but in the end she will follow her head, which is basically telling her that Italy is in Europe. Our economy is entwined with Germany and you can't change that," she said.
(This story has been corrected to say that Meloni has been in power since 2022, not 2023, in paragraph 5)