Italian PM Giorgia Meloni slams Trump's claim that she ‘begged’ for a picture

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has slammed US President Donald Trump's claim that she 'begged' him for a picture together at the recent G7 meeting, which took place earlier this week.

Meloni took to X earlier this morning (19 June) to share a video statement responding to the 80-year-old Republican's allegations.

According to Reuters' translation of Meloni's video, she declared: "Donald Trump's statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished. I don't ‌know why ⁠the president of the United States behaves like this towards his allies: it is not the first time, moreover."

"I can only say it is disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West and of the United States, whose leaders he instead treats with far greater indulgence," she continued.

The world leader concluded: "There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg."

She captioned the clip: "Neither I nor Italy ever beg."

Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani decided to cancel a planned trip to the US which was set to take place this weekend, calling Trump’s claims 'serious and offensive' toward Meloni and all of Italy.

And Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto took to X to likewise call out Trump's claims, saying he didn't believe Meloni would ever beg someone for a photo, 'not even under threat'.

"I can, however, imagine how much it cost her to set aside what Trump had said weeks ago, to serve the interests of Italy, of Europe, and of the West," Crosetto wrote.

"Jokes of this kind do no good to anyone: neither to the USA, nor to Italy, nor to the alliance."

Meloni's video comes after Trump's claims made during an interview broadcast Friday morning on the La7 network.

According to the network, Trump said Meloni had 'begged' him for a photo-op.

La7 added that Trump reportedly said he wasn't required to pose for a snap but that he felt sorry for Meloni and ultimately agreed.

The high-profile G7 meeting took place in Évian-les-Bains, France, where world leaders gathered to discuss major international issues, including the war in Ukraine, Russia, and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

Trump’s arrival at the summit had already been the subject of discussion after Meloni was seen commenting on the fact that he was late to one of the meetings.

In one clip, Meloni can be spotted asking officials when Trump will come.

Meloni was spotted standing with other officials before asking: "We are optimistic he will come?"

A French official then replied: "He will come, he said he will come"

Meloni said: "He’s 45... So he’s 45 minutes late."

Tyla has reached out to the White House for comment.