Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani has cancelled a planned visit to the United States after President Donald Trump made controversial remarks about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, triggering a diplomatic row between two leaders once considered close allies.

Trump reportedly claimed that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni “begged” for a photo with him at France’s G7 summit this week.

"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…