Reuters
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denied talking with President-elect Donald Trump about SpaceX supplying the country with Starlink services over the weekend. The denial comes as reports indicate the nation is closing in on a €1.5 billion deal ($1.55 billion) for the private space company to provide secure telecommunications to the Italian government.
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Meloni made an unannounced visit to the U.S. over the weekend, which resulted in a meeting on Saturday, Jan. 4, with the president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Bella serata con @realDonaldTrump che ringrazio per l’accoglienza.
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) January 5, 2025
Pronti a lavorare insieme 🇮🇹🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ohNSSq1vLg
Meloni, who has served as the Italian prime minister since 2022, posted on social media that she is “ready to work together” with Trump as he prepares to move back into the White House.
Point phone camera here
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is nearing a €1.5 billion deal with Italy to provide encrypted telecom equipment to the government, according to a report from Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the situation. Bloomberg’s report points out, “The negotiations appeared to move forward after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.”
Meloni and Musk have shared praise back and forth in recent weeks. The world’s wealthiest man became a close ally to the president-elect in the final months of the election and beyond.
Meloni’s office denied the topic of SpaceX came up during her discussions with Trump on Saturday.
“The prime minister’s office categorically denies, considering it ridiculous, that SpaceX was a topic during the meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump,” her office said, according to Reuters.
“Contacts with SpaceX are part of regular discussions that state departments have with companies, in this instance those that provide protected connections such as data encryption,” the statement continued.
Ready to provide Italy the most secure and advanced connectivity!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025
For his part, Musk posted on X that SpaceX is “ready to provide Italy the most secure and advanced connectivity!”
No official details of the meetings were released, but Italy’s deputy prime minister shed some light on what was discussed.
“Well done Giorgia Meloni for visiting Donald Trump to talk about peace, industrial and commercial cooperation, security, and the freeing of Cecilia Sala,” Matteo Salvini posted on X.
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Sala, an Italian journalist, has been detained in Iran since December. Iran’s government has called on Italy to release businessman Mohammad Abedini, although it has not called for a direct prisoner swap.
Abedini was arrested in Milan in December on behalf of the U.S., which accused him of supplying technology for drones used to kill U.S. soldiers.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denied talking with President-elect Donald Trump about SpaceX supplying the country with Starlink services over the weekend. The denial comes as reports indicate the nation is closing in on a €1.5 billion deal ($1.55 billion) for the private space company to provide secure telecommunications to the Italian government.
Meloni made an unannounced visit to the U.S. over the weekend, which resulted in a Saturday evening meeting with the president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Meloni, who has served as the Italian prime minister since 2022, posted on social media that she is “ready to work together” with Trump as he prepares to move back into the White House.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is nearing a €1.5 billion deal with Italy to provide encrypted telecom equipment to the government, according to a report from Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the situation. Bloomberg’s report points out, “the negotiations appeared to move forward after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.”
Meloni and Musk have shared praise back and forth in recent weeks. The world’s wealthiest man became a close ally to the president-elect in the final months of the election and beyond.
Meloni’s office vehemently denied the topic of SpaceX came up during her discussions with Trump on Saturday.
“The prime minister’s office categorically denies, considering it ridiculous, that SpaceX was a topic during the meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump,” her office said, according to Reuters.
“Contacts with SpaceX are part of regular discussions that state departments have with companies, in this instance those that provide protected connections such as data encryption,” the statement continued.
For his part, Musk posted on X that SpaceX is “ready to provide Italy the most secure and advanced connectivity!”
No official details of the meetings were released, but Italy’s deputy prime minister shed some light on what was discussed.
“Well done Giorgia Meloni for visiting Donald Trump to talk about peace, industrial and commercial cooperation, security, and the freeing of Cecilia Sala,” Matteo Salvini posted on X.
Sala, an Italian journalist, has been detained in Iran since December. Iran’s government has called on Italy to release businessman Mohammad Abedini, although it has not called for a direct prisoner swap. Abedini was arrested in Milan in December on behalf of the U.S., which accused him of supplying technology for drones used to kill U.S. soldiers.
Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below. Learn more about this data
Left 33%
Center 33%
Right 33%
Bias Distribution
20 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
20
Leaning Left
3
Center
3
Leaning Right
3
Last Updated
6 days ago
Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™
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