Vance Attends Olympic Skating, Meets Italy’s Meloni/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Vice President JD Vance attended Olympic figure skating events in Milan before meeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The meeting highlighted close U.S.-Italy ties amid broader tensions between Washington and Europe. Vance’s trip blends sports diplomacy with high-level political talks.
Vance Italy Visit: Quick Looks
- JD Vance visits Italy for Olympics and diplomacy
- Meets Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Milan
- Talks held amid strained US-Europe relations
- Olympic events frame shared Western values
- Marco Rubio joins Vance at skating competition
- Meloni remains a key Trump ally in Europe
- Greenland dispute underscores recent policy differences
Deep Look: Vance Attends Olympic Skating, Meets Italy’s Meloni
MILAN — Vice President JD Vance met Friday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of the Trump administration’s closest allies in Europe, during a visit that combined Olympic pageantry with high-level diplomacy.
Vance is in Italy for a weeklong trip built around the Winter Olympic Games, using the global sporting event as a backdrop for diplomatic engagement at a time when U.S. relations with Europe have grown more strained under President Donald Trump. Trump’s foreign policy approach has disrupted long-standing alliances and challenged the rules-based international order that has shaped transatlantic relations since World War II.
The vice president began his day at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, attending the opening session of the three-day team figure skating competition alongside his family and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He later traveled to the Prefettura di Milano, now used as a municipal building, for a bilateral meeting with Meloni that lasted about an hour and was followed by a private lunch.
Meloni opened her remarks in Italian before switching to English with a lighthearted joke that Vance likely did not understand her opening comments. Vance replied with humor, quipping that he had learned Italian since his last visit — quickly conceding that he had not. His previous trip to Italy included a meeting with Pope Leo XIV in Rome last May, followed by talks with Meloni.
The Italian prime minister emphasized the strength of the U.S.-Italy relationship, saying she welcomed the opportunity to discuss bilateral cooperation. She also highlighted the symbolism of meeting during the Olympics, describing the Games as an expression of shared values that bind Italy, the United States and what she called Western civilization.
Security restrictions surrounding the Olympic events were evident throughout the day, prompting comments from Tilman Fertitta, who joked about the difficulty of navigating Milan amid road closures and heightened security.
Meloni has worked to maintain close ties with Trump, visiting him at his Mar-a-Lago estate in early January 2025 before his second inauguration. Trump has publicly praised her leadership, and the two have often spoken warmly of one another.
However, recent differences have emerged. Meloni has aligned with other European allies in opposing Trump’s push to assert U.S. control over Greenland, a move that has unsettled NATO partners, including Denmark.
During the brief portion of Friday’s meeting open to reporters, Vance and Meloni exchanged cordial remarks but avoided substantive policy discussions. Vance and Rubio declined to answer shouted questions about ongoing U.S. contacts with Iran.
“In the spirit of the Olympics — friendship, competition, competition based on rules, and coming together around shared values — we’re thrilled to be here,” Vance said. He added that attending the Olympics in Milan had been something he looked forward to since becoming vice president.
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