In the heart of the Rocky Mountains, in Kananaskis, while the world holds its breath over the escalation in the Middle East and the unstoppable attrition of the Ukrainian front, Italy presents itself at the G7 summit not as a spectator, but as a central actress in the new western order. Giorgia Meloni is no longer the emerging leader that the global media tried so hard to decipher. She is a stabilising force. A mediator. A strategic pivot.
The geopolitical scenario: between crises and realignments
The 2025 G7 opens in the midst of a perfect storm: the crisis between Israel and Iran has rekindled the Middle East powder keg, with attacks on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and growing tension over the nuclear issue. On the eastern flank, the war in Ukraine enters an uncertain phase, between military stalemate and diplomatic hardening.
Yet what stands out in this scenario is absence. No big speech by the EU Commission, no formal initiative by Paris. It is Italy that is on the move. Meloni arrives in Canada with a clear line: defence of national interests, Atlantic credibility and pragmatic vision. In short: realism, not ideology.
‘The narrowest path of mediation’ headlines Corriere della Sera, emphasising Italy’s position between Europe, the United States and the Middle East
Bilateral diplomacy: the silent web of power
In Kananaskis, Meloni weaves her diplomacy through key bilateral meetings. With Friedrich Merz, the new German Chancellor, she relaunches an Italy-Germany axis based on competitiveness, industry and migration. The two announce an intergovernmental summit in Rome in 2026: an unequivocal signal of joint leadership at the heart of Europe.
Then it is the turn of Keir Starmer, the new British Prime Minister. Meloni and Starmer converge on Ukraine, energy and security, but it is on the GCAP programme – the next-generation fighter jet – that strategic cooperation is consolidated. An Italian-Anglo-Japanese project that defines the European defence of the future.
Both talks reveal one constant: Italy as a reliable and constructive partner, capable of combining firmness on principles and openness to compromise. Rome presents itself as a ‘functional hinge’ between the two sides of the Atlantic.
“Meloni works for de-escalation, but does not give up deterrence,” writes La Verità, also hinting at the possibility of Italy relaunching negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue
The table of the Greats: the Roman compass
At the heart of the G7 is the Middle East fire. Il Giornale speaks of a ‘Middle East in flames’, where the Israel-Iran conflict threatens the entire architecture of global energy securityReview. Meloni proposes herself as a voice of balance: no ambiguity in supporting Israel, but also a firm demand for an immediate truce and the resumption of multilateral dialogue.
The Italian posture is striking in terms of autonomy and credibility. According to various sources, Meloni has initiated direct contacts with Washington to facilitate confidential talks with President Trump, at a time of ‘tacit misalignment’ between Rome and Brussels. A gesture that confirms how Italy is moving today as a geopolitical protagonist, with an agenda built in the field, not in the editorial offices of think tanks.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Tajani works discreetly with ambassadors to include the truce in the final G7 declarations, while the Ukrainian front remains under special surveillance, with Zelensky present and determined to get new sanctions against Moscow.
An adult nation in the concert of powers
The Kananaskis summit consecrates a qualitative leap in Italy’s presence in the international equilibrium. It is not just ‘goodwill’ that makes the difference, but the ability – still rare in Europe – to transform values into strategy and vision into action. At a time when globalisation is reorganised by blocs, Meloni shows that Italy can be a hinge and not a buffer, a mediating power and not a secondary pawn.
The pressing for a face-to-face with Trump, the convergence with Starmer and Merz, the firm but dialoguing line on Israel and Ukraine, are all moves in a broader design: to make Italy adult in its foreign policy. Without complexes, without servility, but also without illusions.
The world is changing. And while many are chasing change, Giorgia Meloni is preparing it.
