Ammon News - Italy's Giorgia Meloni told American conservatives on Saturday that the United States and Europe would remain close under Donald Trump, despite soaring tensions between the allies including over the fate of Ukraine.

The Italian prime minister was addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) via videolink from Rome, joining a roster of right-wing European politicians participating in the summit outside Washington.

Ties between staunch allies Europe and the United States have been strained in the first weeks of Trump's second term, as the US leader has reached out to Russia and warned of a shift away from Europe, raising fears of Trump's commitment to the NATO alliance.

"Our adversaries hope that President Trump will move away from us (Europe)," Meloni said. But, "knowing him as a strong and effective leader I bet that those who hope for divisions will be proven wrong."

Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, was the only EU leader to attend Trump's inauguration in January and her allies have presented her as a potential bridge between the European Union and the US president.

But the nationalist leader has largely refrained from commenting on Trump's blitz of initiatives and comments since then.

Despite her strong support for Kyiv in its war with Russia, she has notably said nothing in public about Trump's interventions on the conflict this week calling Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator" and falsely blaming Ukraine for starting the war.

On Saturday, Meloni said there was a "growing awareness in Europe that security is now the top priority" and praised support for Ukraine but did not comment on Trump's actions. AFP