Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said Thursday she didn’t believe President-elect Donald Trump actually intends to use military force to seize control of Greenland or the Panama Canal, saying she read his comments more as a warning to China and other global players to keep their hands off such strategically important interests.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday said she doesn’t believe President-elect Trump has a plan to purchase Greenland or acquire it through military force. “I think we can exclude that the United States in the coming years will try to use force to annex territory that interests it,

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of the European leaders closest to Donald Trump, said on Thursday she believed the U.S. president-elect would defend Western interests once he took office and would not abandon Ukraine.

Meloni received a rapturous welcome to Trump's Palm Beach resort, according to videos circulating on social media.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni plans to attend Donald Trump's upcoming inauguration as US president, she said on Thursday. Meloni confirmed that she had received a personal invitation from the future US president and said she will travel to Washington for the occasion if her schedule allows.