Meloni speaks with Macron, an alliance forced to respond to the US

ROME – PARIS – First Emmanuel Macron , then Giorgia Meloni . In just a few days, the two European leaders found themselves outflanked – and certainly put to the test – in their respective attempts at mediation with Washington. The French president saw his European plan for a ceasefire in Ukraine evaporate, shelved in a matter of minutes by Donald Trump during a phone call with allies. The Italian prime minister, on the other hand, found herself exposed after having tried to weave a dialogue with the White House on the trade front, putting Ursula von der Leyen and JD Vance at the same table. A dialogue now put into crisis by the new threat of increased tariffs against Europe.

A double, hard blow that reinforces an awareness in Paris as in Rome: faced with the unpredictability of the American president, a convergence between European capitals is needed. In the name of a higher interest. With realism "of necessity". Thus, after weeks of skirmishes, Macron and Meloni are talking again. There was a telephone contact between the two leaders that was defined as "positive" by their respective entourages. Which certainly does not erase some profound differences between France and Italy, but marks a pragmatic turning point in the method. Both know that time is running out. And that, in order not to wreck any prospect of negotiations on Ukraine, two decisive moves are needed: flush out Russia and keep Donald Trump at the table.

The American president's phone call with his allies on Tuesday, shortly after his meeting with Vladimir Putin , had the effect of a cold shower. In Paris as in Rome, the alarm has gone off: American mediation is in danger of dissolving. In all European chancelleries, there is a real fear that Trump, increasingly frustrated by the lack of results on the Ukrainian dossier , could abandon the diplomatic game, reinforcing his narrative of "a war between Europeans".

Macron and Meloni have therefore decided to reconnect. The tone of the conversation, French sources report, was "constructive". The two leaders shared a fixed point: Moscow cannot dictate the timing, conditions and format of the negotiations. The common goal is to demonstrate that the stalemate is not attributable to the West, but to the Kremlin. And to push Putin to emerge from the ambiguity. For Meloni, one reasoning is especially valid: the situation is so critical that "it makes no sense to divide".

The idea of ​​a summit in the Vatican, launched by Trump as a suggestion after the phone call with Putin and supported with commitment by Rome, now seems out of date, but for Meloni it remains an important political point. Palazzo Chigi claims to have relaunched the idea, helping to expose yet another Russian closure. With the Vatican gone, Turkish mediation remains on the table. Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to present himself as a credible interlocutor, taking advantage of the open channels with Moscow. But it is Switzerland – relaunched by Macron and supported by Berlin and London – that today represents the most concrete path. Meloni supports it, always in compliance with the principle that there is a superior interest, at this time. And that the alternatives, starting with American disengagement, are much worse for European countries.

But the Swiss track is uphill. "Putin is taking his time," confides a source involved in the coordination between Europeans. Work is therefore underway on a technical meeting, limited to humanitarian issues: the fate of deported Ukrainian children, the exchange of prisoners, the securing of the Zaporizhzhia power plant, the recovery and identification of the bodies. On these dossiers, Vatican diplomacy continues to play an active role, keeping confidential channels open with both Kiev and Moscow. And it is not excluded that the Vatican, while not directly hosting the talks, could act as a discreet bridge on some of the most sensitive issues. For Rome, it is also a way of remaining within the perimeter of the negotiations and containing French protagonism. Macron does not want to be accused of dividing Europe at a time when it should count the most. The two leaders know that American mediation on Ukraine is increasingly fragile. And that if it ends, it will be damaging for everyone.