Italian PM Meloni greets US aide with ‘namaste’

WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the hubbub of US President Donald Trump’s multilateral meeting with European Union leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s arrival grabbed eyeballs as she greeted the Chief of Protocol of the US, Monica Crowley, with ‘namaste’.

‘Namaste’ is an Indian etiquette of greeting with folded hands.

The practice by Meloni has been noted earlier too, as she welcomed leaders at the G7 Meet in Italy in a similar fashion.

A video showed PM Modi greeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and engaging in a brief conversation with her during the summit.

The camaraderie between PM Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been making waves on social media, with their interactions sparking a trending hashtag #Melodi.

PM Modi and Meloni have showcased their friendly rapport in videos and selfies, including one taken during the COP28 summit in Dubai, where Meloni captioned the photo “Good friends at COP28, #Melodi”.

Their chemistry was on display during the G20 summit in India, with users editing videos to make the two leaders appear like they’re in a romantic relationship, complete with Bollywood music overlays and playful captions.

Their friendly interaction marks a significant diplomatic connection between Italy and India, with both leaders expressing enthusiasm for collaborative efforts in areas like sustainability, energy, and industry.

Meanwhile, at the multilateral summit in the US, Meloni expressed her support towards peace.

“If we want to reach peace and if we want to guarantee justice, we have to do it united,” she told Trump. “We are on the side of Ukraine.”

It was a remarkable show of unity from leaders spanning the ideological spectrum from liberal centrists like Macron to the populist conservative Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, CNN reported.

Meloni also noted the shift in the situation.

Il mio intervento nel corso del Vertice alla Casa Bianca. pic.twitter.com/Gj550OdwvJ

— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) August 18, 2025

“It is an important day — a new phase — after three years that we didn’t see any kind of sign from the Russian side that they were willing for dialogue, so something is changing — something has changed — thanks to you,” she said. (ANI)