Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of the European leaders closest to Donald Trump, said on Thursday she believed the U.S. president-elect would defend Western interests once he took office and would not abandon Ukraine.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni plans to attend Donald Trump's upcoming inauguration as US president, she said on Thursday. Meloni confirmed that she had received a personal invitation from the future US president and said she will travel to Washington for the occasion if her schedule allows.

Italy's far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said on Thursday Elon Musk's political interventions only caused outrage because he wasn't left-wing -- and that foreigners had been interfering in Italian politics for years.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended Elon Musk's growing involvement in politics on Thursday and said she had never discussed with him a potential deal to supply secure communications to Italy.

Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni said her government is in talks with private companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, over the country’s telecoms security system, but denied having discussed the issue privately with Musk.