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Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the NATO summit in Ankara is prepared to succeed and that U.S.-Italy relations remain strong, dismissing recent tensions between Rome and Washington as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's political style.
"The Ankara summit is prepared so that everything works, commitments will be honored, and each country will arrive having done its part," Crosetto said.
"I don't see any problems in this regard compared to the last summit. We'll see what Trump does," he added.
Crosetto addressed recent friction between the Italian government and the Trump administration in remarks at a think tank event organized on the island by Myrta Merlino and Valentina Fontana for Vis Factor, according to La Repubblica.
"Real relations with the U.S. are excellent, just as they were a year ago, five years ago, at the level of the deep state, at the level of relations between ministers," he said, adding, "I am always in contact with my counterpart."
Crosetto described Trump's approach to allied governments as a deliberate tactic rather than a breakdown in relations.
"Trump? He has his own way of conducting politics, of pressuring his allies," he said, adding, "It's his way of interacting with them so that they respond."
The minister also addressed the debate over defense budgets.
"I have never thought that defense spending should be put as an alternative to very important spending like healthcare, culture or social spending," Crosetto said.
"Defense is a cost, but without defense there is no healthcare, there is no social spending," he said, adding, "Defense is an instrument to ensure that democracy and people can live in peace and freedom in the coming years."
He argued that alliance membership provides both security and value.
"You can do it alone or within an alliance, which is much safer and less costly," he said.
"We are fortunate to be part of the world's strongest alliance. But being part of it means respecting its rules, whether we like them or not," Crosetto noted.
The Italian defense minister predicted the Ankara gathering would be compact and business-like, saying it would be "a very brief summit."
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