Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for Europe to expand its defense capabilities while stating that its security ties with the United States and NATO should be preserved. Meloni said that leaving Europe’s security responsibility to another actor for an extended period carries a political and strategic cost.
Meloni’s approach is centered on the view that Europe should assume greater responsibility for its own security. However, she said she did not consider it realistic for this responsibility to be carried out entirely outside the NATO and transatlantic security framework.
In remarks conveyed in December 2025, Meloni said Europe must be able to defend itself and that the continent therefore needed to develop its defense capabilities. Within the same framework, she called for Europe to preserve its security ties with the United States and NATO.
These assessments came as discussions continued over defense spending within NATO, the war in Ukraine, and Washington’s demands for greater financial and military contributions from European countries. Throughout 2025, Meloni expressed the view that the Western alliance and relations between Europe and the United States should be preserved, while also calling for Europe to assume greater responsibility for security.
Meloni maintained the same position during the European defense debates in March 2025, arguing that Europe needed to develop its own defense capabilities. Her prominence as one of the European leaders who established a close political relationship with the Trump administration also led to this approach being assessed in terms of relations with Washington.
A joint statement calling for the strengthening of the strategic alliance between the United States and Italy in security, economic and technological fields also shows that Meloni’s official position is focused not on a break, but on maintaining the alliance while Europe assumes greater responsibility.
There is no verified official transcript or direct video recording showing that Meloni herself made the statements attributed to her, “We are nobody’s servants” and “It is better than being a puppet of the United States.” The strong statements should therefore not be used as definitive quotations; the assessment should be limited to verifiable messages on security and defense.
