Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of the European leaders closest to Donald Trump, said on Thursday she believed the U.S. president-elect would defend Western interests once he took office and would not abandon Ukraine.

Premier Giorgia Meloni says she doesn't believe President-elect Donald Trump actually intends to use military force to seize control of Greenland or the Panama Canal

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni plans to attend Donald Trump's upcoming inauguration as US president, she said on Thursday. Meloni confirmed that she had received a personal invitation from the future US president and said she will travel to Washington for the occasion if her schedule allows.

NATO's current target for members' defense spending is 2 percent of their country's GDP. Trump has repeatedly called on the alliance to increase this amount.

Donald Trump said NATO member states should be paying 5% of their GDP into their militaries during a press conference Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago: REPORTER: If I could just follow up on Ukraine and Iran, the two negotiations you'll be heading into.

Even before being sworn in, Donald Trump has harshly criticized European NATO countries. He has also altered his stance on ending the conflict in Ukraine, suggesting he could achieve it within half a year,