Meloni Mends Ties with US, Italy to Join Pax Silica

Italy, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, will join the US initiative Pax Silica, which aims to strengthen the security of supply chains for artificial intelligence.

This was confirmed by Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio, who said Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would sign a memorandum of understanding at the earliest opportunity. According to Varricchio, this is a political signal that both countries want to renew cooperation following the recent cooling of relations.

The Pax Silica initiative brings together allied countries to secure supply chains for the development of artificial intelligence, including critical minerals, energy, advanced manufacturing and the development of AI models.

On Thursday (25 June), the European Commission joined the initiative, following the Netherlands' earlier participation. Varricchio had already attended the summit in Washington as an observer and signed a joint declaration alongside representatives from several countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and South Korea.

Italy was set to support the initiative earlier this week, but Tajani's trip was canceled following a public spat between Meloni and US President Donald Trump.

(Reuters, mja)