Even Giorgia Meloni - supposedly Donald Trump's closest European ally - is saying no. Italy has blocked US military aircraft from landing on Italian territory, marking the most significant transatlantic rupture since the invasion of Iraq.
The Italian government refused permission for US military jets to use Italian airspace and airbases, according to German media outlet n-tv. The decision directly contradicts American requests for logistical support related to operations in the Middle East.
This is the moment transatlantic relations fundamentally changed.
Meloni, who campaigned as a defender of Western values and cultivated a personal relationship with Trump, now finds herself unable - or unwilling - to provide the military cooperation Washington expects from NATO allies. The refusal suggests even Europe's most Atlanticist governments have limits when it comes to supporting American military operations without consultation.
The timing is particularly striking. Italy hosts critical US military infrastructure, including Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily and Aviano Air Base in the north. These installations have served as staging points for American operations across the Mediterranean and Middle East for decades. Denying access represents an unprecedented assertion of Italian sovereignty over what the Pentagon has long treated as effectively American military territory.
For European sovereignty advocates, this is a watershed moment.
France has historically maintained the most independent defense posture within NATO, but Rome has traditionally aligned closely with Washington. Meloni's decision - regardless of her personal relationship with Trump - signals that European capitals will no longer automatically grant the US carte blanche for military operations.
The implications for NATO are profound. The alliance operates on the assumption that members will provide mutual support, including access to military facilities. If Italy - a founding NATO member with deep defense ties to the United States - can refuse American military access, what does that mean for Article 5 collective defense obligations?
