Giorgia Meloni flew to Florida to meet with Donald Trump on Saturday, as the key European leader sought to further boost ties with the US before the president-elect’s inauguration on Jan 20.

Members of Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort welcomed the Italian prime minister with applause after an introduction by the president-elect, according to videos shared on social media by reporters and others.

Ms Meloni’s trip comes days before she is to meet Joe Biden, the US president, during his visit to Rome from Jan 9 to Jan 12. 

While no details of their meeting have been disclosed, Ms Meloni had planned to talk with Mr Trump about Russia’s war in Ukraine, trade issues, the Middle East and the plight of an Italian journalist detained in Tehran, according to Italian media reports.

Ms Meloni’s office declined to comment on the reports.