Donald Trump. Photo: Andrew Harnik / Getty images
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump will announce the introduction of new duties that will seriously hit Italian manufacturers. This was stated by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is considered one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe. The US leader is expected to make an official statement at 20:00 GMT (23:00 Kyiv time) in the Rose Garden of the White House, Reuters reports.
Trump’s statements about the US “freeing” itself from foreign products have already caused concern among economists. Analysts warn that Washington’s broad protectionism could trigger trade wars, raise prices, and provoke tough countermeasures from other countries.
“The imposition of new duties will have serious consequences for Italian producers,” Meloni said during an award ceremony for representatives of the gastronomy industry. She did not rule out retaliatory measures to protect Italian goods, although she had previously been more reserved about the EU’s response to Trump’s economic policies.
Meloni maintains close contacts with the White House and was the only European leader to visit Washington in January for Trump’s inauguration. This signalled the special relationship between Italy and the new US administration.
At the same time, Italian Foreign Minister Tommaso Foti called for a non-impulsive response. “We need a dialogue, not a tit-for-tat reaction. The less we raise the tone, the more effective the negotiations will be,” he said during a business forum in Rome.
European countries are preparing for a possible deterioration in economic relations with Washington, as Trump’s new trade strategy could dramatically change the global rules of the game.
