He hails a fantastic woman sweeping all before her in Europe. She praises a strong and shrewd defender of the West. Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni are fast forging a new transatlantic "special relationship".

Meloni had already developed a relationship seen as cordial with Musk, who was invited to Atreju, a youth event for her Brothers of Italy party, in late 2023. But amid alarm among parties including Italy's defence community and its presidency, there has been an increasing politicization of the potential Starlink contract.

ROME (AP) — After forging unexpectedly fond ties with U.S. President Joe Biden, Italy’s right-wing Premier Giorgia Meloni is poised to leverage a more natural alliance with President-elect Donald Trump that positions her as a key interlocutor between the U.S. and Europe.