Trump deepens the dispute with Italian Milani, who says that his “unjustified attacks are meaningless.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, insisting she “repeatedly” asked to take a photo with him at the recent G7 summit and criticizing what he said was Italy’s lack of cooperation during the Iran war.

These statements deepen the dispute that began this week with the Republican president’s interview with an Italian radio station, during which Trump claimed that Meloni “begged” to take a photo during the G7 meeting in France. Meloni described this as “completely fabricated.” This dispute prompted the Italian Foreign Minister to cancel a scheduled trip to the United States, while the Meloni government lined up to defend it.

“Italian Prime Minister Gigiorgia Meloni has repeatedly asked to take a picture with me during the G7 meeting in France,” Trump wrote on his social media platform while spending the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David. He misspelled her first name in the first post, and corrected it later.

He continued: “It is performing poorly in Italy because of its level of popularity, perhaps because it has rejected the United States of America, the country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it comes to denying Iran the ability to obtain or develop a nuclear weapon (but so does NATO, for that matter!).”

Read more: Italy’s Meloni responds to Trump’s ‘fabricated’ claim as top diplomat cancels trip to US

Meloni quickly responded, saying in a statement to Trump that “these continued and unprovoked attacks are meaningless.”

Meloni said in a post on Instagram: “As for my popularity, being your friend certainly did not help her, nor does it depend on my relationship with you. My popularity depends on my ability to defend the national interest of Italy, and this is exactly what I have always done.” She added, “Anyway, my popularity is not your concern. I suggest you focus on your own.”

Trump’s initial comments were broadcast Friday on the La7 network. A reporter had asked the president about Ukraine, but Trump brought up Meloni and made the allegation about the photo. La7 newspaper said that Trump said he did not have to take the photo with her, but he felt sorry for her and agreed. The broadcaster posted a dubbed version of the conversation online, but not the original English audio.

Read more: Trump criticizes Italian Meloni for siding with the Pope and not supporting the Iran war

In his post, Trump also complained that Meloni would not allow the US to use Italian landing strips or runways during the Iran war even though the US is a leader in defense spending among NATO allies. This is a long-standing complaint about the military alliance, and one that Trump raised ahead of his meeting at the White House on Wednesday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and a NATO summit in Türkiye next month.

Italy, a major logistics hub for the United States, in March refused to allow US bombers heading to the Middle East to use a base in Sicily without parliamentary approval. It was a decision that reflected constitutional constraints and strong domestic opposition to the war. Meloni insisted that any use of Italian bases in offensive operations would require parliamentary support.

Trump expressed his frustration about Meloni, claiming on Saturday that she “wants to be friends again” in light of the initial agreement between the US and Iran to end the war.

Associated Press writer Silvia Stellaci in Rome contributed to this report.