Italy's Meloni heads to US with unlikely mission for Europe

She will have to walk a tightrope between representing the interests of the EU and remaining in the US president's good books.

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They were due to have lunch before holding bilateral talks in the Oval Office around 13:00 (17:00 GMT).

As the first European leader to travel to Washington since Trump introduced - then paused – 20% tariffs on the EU earlier in April, Meloni will be hoping to convince him of the merits of a "zero-for-zero" tariffs deal for the entire EU.

Italy is particularly vulnerable to any changes to US trade policy.

Around 10% of its exports - worth about €67bn (£57bn; $76bn) - go to the US, Italy's third biggest non-EU trading partner, and the tariffs announced by Trump earlier this month caused Rome to halve its growth forecast.