PRIOR to becoming Italian prime minister in 2022, Giorgia Meloni faced widespread reservations in the West about her suitability for high office. However, her foreign policy actions since have surpassed initial expectations in key Western capitals, including her strong support for Ukraine.

The latest indication of this will come on Friday (Mar 1) and this weekend with Meloni’s trip to North America to see US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, partly in her capacity as this year’s chair of the G7. She is expected to get a warm welcome in both Washington DC, and Toronto, despite her previous spats with Trudeau.

In Canada, the agenda is economic, not just strategic. Italy and the wider 27 European Union (EU) member states see in the vast North American country a huge partnership opportunity to help diversify supply chains, especially on natural resources and green technologies, in the wake of the Ukraine war. Late last year, the two powers announced a new “Green Alliance” – the most comprehensive form of bilateral engagement under the European Green Deal.