US President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, alleging that she persistently asked to be photographed with him during the recent G7 summit in France in an effort to improve her standing back home.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump claimed Meloni repeatedly requested a picture with him during the summit and suggested that her political position in Italy had weakened. He linked her supposed decline in popularity to her stance on Washington’s efforts to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Trump also accused the Italian government of refusing to allow the United States access to Italian airstrips and runways, portraying the decision as a major inconvenience for American operations. He argued that such a move was surprising given what he described as the US role in safeguarding Italy and other NATO allies.

In the same post, Trump said that after what he called a US military success against Iran, Meloni was now attempting to rebuild ties with Washington for domestic political benefit. He dismissed the idea outright, writing that he had no interest in such a reset.

This is not the first time Trump has made the claim. He had earlier remarked that Meloni had effectively “begged” for a photo at the G7 and suggested she was eager for his attention. Those comments triggered a strong response from the Italian Prime Minister.

Meloni publicly rejected Trump’s version of events, saying his remarks were entirely false and expressing disbelief at the way he was speaking about a long-standing ally. She also suggested that such behaviour was not new and questioned why the US President repeatedly chose to target friendly nations in this manner.

The dispute has now spilled over into diplomacy. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has cancelled a planned visit to the United States amid the controversy, underscoring the seriousness with which Rome is treating Trump’s remarks.

The episode has added further strain to US-Italy ties, which have already faced turbulence in recent months despite Meloni’s earlier efforts to maintain a strong relationship with Washington.