US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s 6–8 May visit to Italy and the Vatican confirmed continuing transatlantic co-operation, but also exposed differences over Iran, NATO, trade, Ukraine and the use of Italian military facilities.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Italy and the Vatican from 6 to 8 May has underlined both the durability and the limits of Washington’s relationship with Rome under President Donald Trump.
The trip, announced by the US State Department as a mission to advance relations with Italy and the Vatican, came at a sensitive moment for the transatlantic alliance. The United States is seeking stronger European support over Iran and maritime security, while Italy is attempting to preserve its role as a reliable American partner without compromising its own legal procedures, economic interests or position inside the European Union.
Rubio met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on 7 May. According to the Holy See, the talks with the Pope, Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher reaffirmed the shared commitment to maintaining good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States. The discussions also covered conflicts, political instability and humanitarian crises, with an emphasis on the need to work for peace.
The following day, 8 May, Rubio held separate meetings in Rome with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The meeting with Tajani took place at the Farnesina, where the Italian Foreign Ministry said the agenda covered the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, global and regional security challenges, and the state of transatlantic relations.
The Italian government presented the talks as constructive. Palazzo Chigi confirmed that Meloni met Rubio at the seat of government on 8 May, in a meeting intended to continue dialogue between Italy and the United States. Rubio, for his part, described the talks as part of an effort to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Behind the formal language, however, the visit pointed to several unresolved issues. The first concerns Iran and freedom of navigation. Washington wants allies to take a more active role in ensuring maritime security, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz. Italy has indicated that it is willing to support international efforts, but within an agreed framework and after the necessary political and legal procedures have been followed.
That distinction is important. The United States maintains access to military facilities in Italy, but their use in any wider military operation is not automatic. Rome’s position is that Italian law, government authorisation and, where necessary, parliamentary oversight remain decisive. Italy’s support for the alliance does not remove the requirement for national consent.
Rubio addressed some of these questions during remarks to the press in Rome, where he said the United States wanted NATO to remain effective but also expected allies to contribute more clearly to common security objectives. His comments reflected a broader argument within the Trump administration: that Europe should assume a greater share of the burden, while still backing American-led priorities when Washington considers them essential.
For Italy, the same debate is linked to sovereignty. Meloni’s government remains strongly Atlanticist, but it is also conscious of domestic political pressure and the legal limits on any foreign use of Italian territory. Rome is therefore trying to balance its strategic relationship with Washington against the need to show that decisions on Italian military infrastructure are taken in Italy, not imposed from outside.
Trade is another area of friction. Trump’s tariff policy has caused concern across Europe, and particularly in Italy, where exports remain central to economic policy. Any increase in US tariffs on European goods would affect Italian manufacturers, including sectors associated with the “Made in Italy” brand. Tajani has previously argued that the United States and Europe need each other, and that economic confrontation would damage both sides.
Ukraine was also part of the Rome discussions. Italy continues to support Kyiv within the EU and NATO framework, while European governments are closely watching any shift in Washington’s approach to Russia’s war. For Rome, the future of US policy towards Ukraine is not a bilateral question alone, but part of the wider European security settlement.
The visit also carried political symbolism. Rubio’s Italian ancestry was highlighted during the meetings, with Italian officials referring to his family roots in Piedmont. Such gestures helped maintain a cordial atmosphere, but they did not remove the harder policy questions facing both governments.
Rubio’s trip did not produce a rupture between Washington and Rome. Nor did it resolve the disputes that have accumulated since Trump’s return to office. Instead, it confirmed that Italy remains one of Washington’s most important European interlocutors, while also making clear that Meloni’s government intends to protect national procedures and interests.
Rome’s message was therefore carefully balanced: Italy remains a loyal ally, but not an automatic instrument of US policy. For Washington, Rubio’s visit kept open a valuable channel with a European government still committed to the Atlantic relationship. Whether that channel can withstand further disagreement over Iran, tariffs, NATO and Ukraine will depend less on diplomatic symbolism than on the next decisions taken in Washington.
First published on euglobal.news.
