Despite speculation that Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — a politician with a famously close relationship with US President Trump — is now adopting a more cautious stance towards the US, her party, the Brothers of Italy, yesterday assured Brussels Signal that Meloni and her government are not seeking to distance themselves from the Trump administration.
According to Nicola Procaccini, MEP for Brothers of Italy and co-chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament, Meloni and her government aim to act as a bridge between the US and European Union countries at a time of diverging interests.
“We are trying to keep the Atlantic united, because the West is our past and our future,” said Procaccini.
He was speaking exclusively to Brussels Signal yesterday on the side-lines of the ECR Study Days taking place in Rome from December 9 to 12, a series of meetings focused on shaping the group’s strategy, policies and common positions.
Procaccini’s remarks come amid speculation that Meloni and her government are adopting a more cautious stance towards the US following the release of the 2025 US National Security Strategy, which many in the EU have interpreted as anti-European.
The speculation intensified after reports that Brothers of Italy decided not to participate in organising an Italian edition of CPAC, the US-based annual conservative conference associated with Trump supporters, next year.
Procaccini rejects the suggestion that decision was connected to the strategy document.
“One only needs to read it. In fact, it states that, from a cultural and strategic perspective, Europe is vital for the United States. What it highlights instead is that Europe is gradually losing its identity and its culture — something that Brothers of Italy has always warned about,” he said.
The document, he added, calls for a “resurgence” of the European Union — a goal the party fully supports — and for European countries to meet their responsibilities, particularly regarding military spending.
“Italy must begin to spend properly on its own defence,” Procaccini noted, emphasising that this call for increased defence expenditure predates US President Donald Trump’s tenure, tracing back to Barack Obama and Joe Biden administrations.
At the same time, the party seeks to balance its privileged access to the present Trump administration, based on shared values, with its position within the EU defending Europe’s specific interests.
Differences in priorities between the US and EU are particularly apparent in defence strategy. “It is understandable that, at NATO level, the United States focuses on the Indo-Pacific, seeing China as the main threat, while Europe considers Russia, which has invaded a European nation, its primary concern,” Procaccini said.
This creates a delicate challenge for Brothers of Italy: Maintaining transatlantic unity while reconciling Europe’s firm support for Ukraine with Trump’s approach, which favours dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Regarding that, Procaccini said: “We appreciate the attempt but the details of any agreement still need to be seen. We want security guarantees for Ukraine.
“There is an Italian proposal under discussion to provide Ukraine with NATO Article 5 guarantees without Ukraine formally joining the Alliance. There is also a proposal to maintain the front line as it is now,” he added.
“Ukraine would commit not to recognise the lost territories but also not to attempt to regain them by force.”
Ultimately, Procaccini portrayed Brothers of Italy as walking a tightrope: Maintaining the Atlantic alliance while defending Europe’s strategic interests and balancing firm support for Ukraine with the pursuit of dialogue with Russia.
In a world of shifting alliances and diverging priorities, the party seeks to position itself not as a follower but as a broker — connecting Washington and Brussels at a moment when transatlantic solidarity is being tested.
