The Italian government has expressed “astonishment” at recent remarks by former U.S. president Donald Trump, who suggested that some NATO allies had fallen short during operations in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni responded by recalling Italy’s decisive role from the very beginning of the international mission.
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, NATO activated Article 5 - its collective defence clause - for the first and only time in its history, as a gesture of solidarity with the United States. Italy, Meloni noted, joined immediately, deploying thousands of troops and taking responsibility for the Regional Command West, one of the most sensitive operational areas of the mission.
The commitment lasted nearly two decades and came at a heavy cost: 53 Italian soldiers lost their lives and more than 700 were wounded during combat operations, security missions and training programmes for Afghan forces. “A sacrifice that cannot be questioned,” the prime minister stressed.
Meloni defined Trump’s statements as “unacceptable” if coming from an allied country. While reaffirming the deep friendship between Italy and the United States, built on shared values and long-standing cooperation, she added that true friendship “requires respect”, a necessary condition for preserving the solidarity at the heart of the Atlantic Alliance.