Meloni said she was astonished by his comments, which were "completely made up." She also chided him for acting with far greater deference to the enemies of the West than he does towards old allies.

"Italy and I do not beg," Meloni said in a video rebuke posted on social media Friday. Italy's top diplomat, meanwhile, said he was cancelling a visit to the U.S because of the…

US President Donald Trump opened a new rift with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni by claiming that she “begged” him for a photo during the G7 summit and that he obliged out…