Italy has expressed strong disapproval of US President Donald Trump's latest social media remarks directed at Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with senior members of the Italian government urging that bilateral ties should not be affected by personal exchanges.

The controversy erupted after Trump shared an edited image of Meloni on his Truth Social platform accompanied by a caption suggesting a restraining order. The post quickly drew attention ahead of this week's NATO summit, where leaders from member nations are expected to discuss key security issues.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto downplayed the significance of the online post while stressing that the long-standing relationship between Italy and the United States remains more important than comments made by individual political leaders. He said governments may change over time, but strategic partnerships should continue uninterrupted.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani echoed that sentiment, expressing confidence that cooperation between Europe and the United States would remain strong despite occasional public disagreements involving political figures.

Prime Minister Meloni did not issue any immediate response to Trump's latest remarks.

The exchange follows a series of comments made by Trump after last month's G7 summit, where he claimed Meloni had sought a photograph with him and suggested she was attempting to improve ties with Washington for domestic political reasons. He had also criticised Italy's position regarding US military action against Iran.

At the time, Meloni rejected the criticism, calling the repeated attacks unnecessary and responding that her political standing had not benefited from her association with Trump. She also suggested that he should focus on addressing his own public image instead.

Meloni, who has often been viewed as one of Europe's conservative leaders with the closest ties to Trump, has recently taken a more cautious approach toward the former US president amid growing differences on foreign policy and international security issues.

The latest dispute comes just before the NATO summit, where Trump has again intensified his criticism of European alliance members over defence spending and their broader commitments to the military alliance.