Italy's PM, French president hold talks in Rome

ROME - Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron and the two leaders held bilateral talks on various issues, including trade, and relationships with the United States, according to Italian media.

The French president was greeted with the guard of honour at Palazzo Chigi, and Meloni and Macron were seen shaking hands and smiling for cameras before entering the government palace.

The bilateral talks were expected to help dispel recent tensions between the two countries, Ansa news agency reported. France and Italy are traditional allies, and the second and third-largest economies in the European Union (EU), respectively, but the two governments have been at odds over a number of issues, and are politically distant: Meloni leads a right-wing, nationalist cabinet, while Macron is centrist and strongly pro-European.

According to Ansa, the two leaders also differ from each other in their approach to the United States, with Meloni seeking to build close ties with President Donald Trump -- and play a negotiating role between the United States and the EU on tariffs -- and Macron advocating a more independent EU's stance.

On the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, both countries have vowed strong support to Kyiv, but the Italian prime minister has shown skepticism toward a French-British plan to send peacekeeping troops in case of a peace deal.

Meloni's office did not release any statement after the bilateral meeting with the French president on Tuesday, nor held a press conference. On Saturday, however, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani declared Macron's visit would be "an absolutely positive event between two countries that are allies and neighbours".