Italian journalist "furies" Trump: "I have never called Europe a parasite, I am not a fan of Zelensky"

Several questions asked by an Italian journalist have sparked US President Donald Trump's press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, where the chief executive in Rome played the role of "firefighter".

Tension prevailed at the conference, when Trump was asked about his accusations against Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he holds responsible for the war in Ukraine along with his predecessor in office, Joe Biden.

The journalist asked Meloni in Italian what he thought of Trump's statement against Zelensky holding him responsible for the war, and Meloni responded at length, also in Italian, with Trump laughingly saying: "That was so nice. What... what did he say? "

When the translator nervously tried to explain the content of the question, the atmosphere became noticeably tense. Meloni, sensing the tension, quickly changed the subject, declaring that Italy would increase its defense spending to 2% of GDP, as defined by the NATO target.

After Meloni finished, Trump said, "I don't blame Zelensky, but I'm not thrilled about the fact that this war started," noting the huge cost of the destruction in Ukraine.

"I'm not happy with him, nor with anyone else involved," he added.

The White House chief then closed with a sharp phrase. " I don't blame him, but I can't say he did the best job. I'm not a big fan of his ," he said.

The interview continued with another awkward moment, when an Italian journalist asked if Trump had really called Europe a "parasite."

Meloni questioned this, while Trump categorically denied it. Asked if he wanted to "make Europe great again," Trump responded by saying: "I hope Europe becomes great again."

"It has gone through a lot of problems and a lot of them have to do with immigration. I'm not a big fan of Europe and what they've done with immigration. I believe they will become smarter, because Europe has been deeply hurt by its choices," he declared.

In conclusion, Trump praised Georgia Meloni for her tough policy on refugees, emphasizing that "Europe is very important to me."

"It's important for the world. I want them to do well, but Europe needs to get serious about immigration," the American President underlined. (A2 Televizion)