'Need each other': Macron hosts Meloni after Trump rift

French President Emmanuel Macron met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday in the seaside town of Antibes, France. It was the first major summit between the two countries since a friendship treaty took effect in 2021. The two leaders gathered to talk about working together on issues like defense, energy, and space. The meeting came just as Meloni had a very public falling-out with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The summit took place at the Villa Eilenroc, a stunning 19th-century home that looks out over the Mediterranean Sea. France's presidential office said the talks would help the two countries work more closely together. 'We need each other,' the French presidency said before the meeting began. The two leaders were also expected to sign several agreements during the visit.

Macron and Meloni do not always see eye to eye. Macron is a pro-European centrist, while Meloni leads a mix of right-wing and far-right political parties. Even so, they have been working to get along better. Last June, they had a long one-on-one meeting in Rome that helped ease some of the tension between them.

Their differences showed up in a funny moment back in April. Meloni arrived at the Elysée Palace in Paris in a red Alfa Romeo. When Macron greeted her, he gave her an enthusiastic double kiss — the traditional French greeting — that clearly surprised her. A video of the moment went viral, showing Meloni looking shocked before both of them laughed it off.

Meloni had long tried to act as a go-between for Europe and Trump. But after a recent G7 summit in France, she broke with Trump over what she called his 'constant, unprovoked attacks.' Experts say this shift pushed her closer to European leaders like Macron. 'That can only please Emmanuel Macron,' said Marc Lazar, an Italy expert at Sciences Po university in Paris.

Political expert Sergio Fabbrini, from Luiss University in Rome, explained the tricky situation both leaders face. He said Meloni had used her friendship with Trump to push back against the European Union. 'Now she finds herself without Trump and is forced to return to the European Union, particularly in terms of defence,' he said. Fabbrini also pointed out that Macron is powerful in Europe but struggling at home, while Meloni is very popular in Italy but has less influence across Europe.

The two leaders do agree on some things. For example, both oppose a free trade deal between the European Union and South America's Mercosur trade bloc. But they disagree on other big issues. Meloni wants to hold migrants in detention centers outside the EU, which Macron does not support. She also refuses to send Italian troops to Ukraine, even as a peacekeeping force after a war ends.

Despite their differences, the two countries signed important agreements at the summit. One deal focused on defense, with attention to a missile defense system called SAMP/T that was already sent to Ukraine. Another agreement covered nuclear energy, and a third dealt with plans for a European satellite network that would compete with Elon Musk's Starlink internet service. These agreements show that even leaders who disagree on many things can still find ways to work together.