Fri Jan 10 09:29:43 IST 2025: ## Italian Prime Minister Downplays Trump’s Military Threats
**Rome, Italy** – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni played down President-elect Donald Trump’s recent comments suggesting the potential use of military force to seize Greenland and the Panama Canal. Speaking at her annual press conference on Thursday, Meloni stated she believes Trump’s remarks were intended as a warning to China and other global powers, rather than a declaration of imminent military action.
Meloni, who recently visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago and plans to attend his inauguration, emphasized the increasing Chinese influence in the Panama Canal and Greenland as the likely context for Trump’s statements. She characterized the comments as part of a broader geopolitical “long-distance debate between great powers.”
Trump’s comments, made earlier this week, sparked concern among analysts who warned that such rhetoric could embolden adversaries. Meloni, however, expressed confidence that the incoming Trump administration would continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia, despite Trump’s past assertions of being able to quickly end the conflict. She believes Trump understands the importance of Western support in containing Russia.
The press conference also addressed Meloni’s government’s recent success in securing the release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who had been detained in Iran for three weeks. Meloni revealed a “diplomatic triangulation” involving the US, Iran, and Italy was key to Sala’s return. This involved negotiations linked to the case of Iranian engineer Mohammad Abedini, who remains detained in Italy on a US warrant related to a 2024 drone attack. Abedini’s extradition case is pending. Meloni confirmed that the US was involved in the negotiations but that the Abedini case is now under the purview of the Italian justice ministry. The release of the journalist came the day before the press conference.
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