Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Skips UN General Assembly for First Time in 15 Years

<p>Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is not attending the United Nations General Assembly this week, an official confirmed to Fox News Digital.</p><p>Meloni’s decision not to attend breaks with a roughly 15-year stretch in which an Italian prime minister took part in the U.N. General Assembly’s annual high-level debate, according to Associated Medias, although the 2020 gathering was held largely virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meloni cited a packed schedule after attending six summits in three and a half weeks and stated she had "several dossiers" to handle at home.</p><p>Meloni’s absence also means the two leaders will avoid another face-to-face encounter after recent international summits put their growing tensions on public display, despite a previously warm relationship.</p><p>Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated ahead of the summit, "We believe the United Nations is the basic instrument for achieving peace everywhere. Indeed we want a stronger role for the United Nations, we are present at many initiatives and we have an Italian candidate at the helm of the FAO," according to Italian outlet ANSA. "There is great attention from the Italian side."</p><p>The tensions between Meloni and Trump escalated in June after Trump claimed Meloni had "begged" him to take a photo at the G7, months after tensions first surfaced publicly when Meloni opposed U.S. military action against Iran and criticized Trump’s comments about Pope Leo XIV as "unacceptable."</p><p>Meloni was notably the only European leader to attend Trump’s 2025 presidential inauguration, reflecting a previously warmer relationship than Trump has shared with many other U.S. allies.</p><p>In July, Meloni and Trump had a public disagreement in the lead-up to the NATO summit in Turkey after Trump posted "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED" on Truth, alongside a photo of Meloni looking at him.</p><p>Tajani commented in July, "Trump's statements against Meloni speak for themselves. We are convinced that transatlantic relations go far beyond individual statements."</p><p>This exchange followed a June interview with Italy’s La7 after the G7, where Trump mocked Meloni over her eagerness to take a photo with him, stating, "She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn't have taken it, but I felt sorry for her."</p><p>Meloni responded, "I can only say it is disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West and of the United States, whose leaders he instead treats with far greater indulgence."</p><p>There have been ongoing tensions between the two leaders after Meloni distanced herself from the U.S. amid mounting domestic and political pressure over the widening Middle East conflict.</p><p>Trump has also criticized Meloni for not allowing U.S. forces to use Italy's landing strips and runways, calling it "a great logistical inconvenience." He stated, "She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon (But so did NATO, for that matter!)."</p><p>Italy remains a key U.S. security hub in Europe, hosting nearly 13,000 active-duty American service members as of December 2025, according to Defense Manpower Data Center figures, with personnel based in Vicenza, Aviano, Naples, and Sicily.</p><p>A senior administration official highlighted President Trump’s meetings with other heads of state and engagement with Gulf partners on Iran when asked about Meloni’s absence from the conference.</p><p>Tajani is expected to speak at the conference on Wednesday.</p>