Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has delivered her sharpest response yet to US President Donald Trump, telling him on Instagram that his “constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless” and that her popularity has nothing to do with her relationship with him.

“My popularity depends on my ability to defend Italy’s national interest, and that is exactly what I have always done,” Meloni wrote.

“That is also what I did regarding the American military bases in Italy. Their use is governed by agreements that we have always respected, and that cannot be violated as long as I am Prime Minister.”

She closed with a pointed rebuke: “Italy remains a sovereign nation. In any case, my popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours.”

The statement marks a significant escalation in what has become one of the most public and personal ruptures between Washington and a Western ally in recent memory.

The row began when Trump told Italian broadcaster La7 that Meloni had “begged” him for a photograph at this week’s G7 summit in France, saying he agreed only because he “felt sorry for her.”

Meloni denied the claim, calling it “made up,” but Trump doubled down on Truth Social, saying she had asked “over and over” for a picture.

Trump went further, accusing Meloni of seeking to repair ties with Washington for domestic political reasons after Italy declined to support US military action against Iran.

“Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up.’ No thanks!!!” he wrote, adding that she was doing “poorly in Italy” — a charge he linked to her refusal to allow the US to use Italian “landing strips or runways” during the conflict.

The remarks drew swift condemnation in Rome.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned visit to the United States, saying Trump’s “grave and offensive” words “offend the whole of Italy.”

Justice Minister Carlo Nordio called the comments a “painful injury” to bilateral ties, while Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said such “jokes do not benefit anyone.”

Meloni, who leads the far-right Brothers of Italy party, had earlier said she was “frankly stunned” by Trump’s behaviour.

“I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way with his own allies,” she said in a video on X, accusing Trump of showing greater deference to adversaries than to partners.

“It’s a pity he doesn’t show the same determination with enemies of the West, with enemies of the United States, with leaders with whom, instead, he is far more accommodating,” she said.

The falling-out is a striking reversal for Meloni, who had spent months cultivating close ties with Trump and positioning herself as a bridge between Washington and a wary Europe. At the close of the G7 summit in Evian, she had described the atmosphere as “very positive” with “no friction” between Trump and other leaders.

Relations had already begun to fray during the Middle East war, when Trump turned on Meloni in April after she defended Pope Leo XIV against his criticism of the pontiff’s anti-war stance.