U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Rome on Friday, April 18, for talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
It is reported that Vance met with Meloni in the morning and also plans to meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State and the second-highest official in the Holy See after the Pope.
Vance is traveling with his wife and three young children. They are expected to celebrate Easter in the Vatican on Sunday, April 20.
Notably, Meloni was the first among European leaders to visit Donald Trump after he initiated a trade war.
During her visit, she stated that Trump had agreed to make an official visit to Rome and would consider meeting with representatives of the European Union during that trip.
Meloni has previously expressed the belief that European countries affected by U.S. tariffs should seek their removal through negotiations rather than respond with retaliatory tariffs.