Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni drew attention during her arrival at the White House for US President Donald Trump’s multilateral meeting with EU leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, greeting US Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley with a traditional Indian ‘namaste’.
The folded-hands greeting, rooted in Indian culture, has become a signature gesture for Meloni. She was earlier seen welcoming world leaders in the same manner at the G7 summit in Italy.
Meloni’s cordial rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often captured global attention, with their interactions sparking the viral hashtag #Melodi on social media. Their selfies and exchanges at events like COP28 in Dubai and the G20 summit in India were widely circulated, often humorously edited with Bollywood-style music and captions. The camaraderie, however, also reflects growing diplomatic cooperation between Italy and India in areas such as energy, sustainability, and industry.
At Monday’s summit in Washington, Meloni underscored her government’s support for Ukraine and the importance of collective action for peace. “If we want to reach peace and if we want to guarantee justice, we have to do it united. We are on the side of Ukraine,” she told Trump.
She added that the talks marked a “new phase” in the conflict. “It is an important day — a new phase — after three years that we didn’t see any kind of sign from the Russian side that they were willing for dialogue. Something is changing — something has changed — thanks to you,” she said.
The summit saw a remarkable display of unity, with leaders from across the ideological spectrum, from centrist French President Emmanuel Macron to conservative leaders like Meloni, standing together in support of Ukraine, CNN reported.