Kamal Ghorui
US Vice President JD Vance, who was in Italy to cheer the US team at the Winter Olympics, made a flirtatious remark to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. During a meeting with Vance, Meloni was speaking in Italian, and later, realising that he might not understand due to the language barrier, she said, “I know you didn’t know what I was talking about.” Responding, Vance replied, “I have actually learned Italian since the last time I saw you.” Vance was on a weeklong visit combining sports and diplomacy, meeting Meloni at a time when US relations with Europe have become increasingly strained under President Donald Trump, who has shaken the rules-based order that has underpinned US foreign policy since World War II. The vice president began his day at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, watching the opening session of the three-day team figure skating competition with his family and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Vance then headed to the Prefettura di Milano, a historic Milan palace now used as a municipal building, for a bilateral meeting with Meloni that lasted about an hour and was followed by a closed-door lunch.
