Aid to Ukraine, sanctions against Moscow and the race for independence from Russian gas: war will inevitably dominate the agenda of the meeting between Mario Draghi and Joe Biden, in the president's first visit to the United States of the Council since the beginning of its mandate.
The mission for the premier will be an opportunity to underline with his ally the two pillars of Italian foreign policy, belonging to the EU and Atlanticism.
And to reiterate, in full harmony with the Quirinale, the Italian position on the conflict: firm condemnation of the Russian invasion, also military support to Kiev to allow the Ukrainians to defend themselves, in line with the EU and G7 allies, and importance, at the same time, of a European action that can accelerate the process towards negotiation.
The search for peace, Draghi reiterated before the European Parliament in Strasbourg and will repeat in the Oval office, is "the priority" for Italy and for Europe and the tightening of sanctions aims to bring Vladimir Putin the first possible at a "ceasefire" and then at the negotiating table.
In his "first" at the White House, the Prime Minister is strong in a "leadership" recognized by Biden on the eve of his arrival, for the "hard" choices taken against Russia, in which Italy has placed itself in first row.
And in some cases, like the sanctions against the Central Bank of Moscow, she was the inspiration.
A decisive change of course compared to the years of pro-Putinism, favorably observed by the European and international chancelleries, despite the distinctions that are emerging in the large majority who support Draghi in Rome.
For the two, however, it will be the third bilateral in just over a year, after the meeting in Cornwall at the G7 and Biden's visit to Palazzo Chigi on the sidelines of the G20 in Rome.
Draghi and Biden also had the opportunity to exchange in Brussels at the end of March, when the US president attended the NATO summit and the last European Council.
The Prime Minister will arrive in Washington on Tuesday for the face-to-face meeting after the virtual summit between the leaders of the G7 and the Ukrainian President Volodymiyr Zelensky and the day after that May 9, which for the EU is the day of peace and for Moscow it is the day of the Parade of Victory over the Nazis in Germany.
The progress of the war on the ground, the actions to support Ukraine, including the dispatch of weapons, the tightening of sanctions will be the main issues on the table, together with the repercussions of the war on the economy and on energy supplies but also of the wheat, which risk triggering a food crisis in the poorest countries of Africa and the Middle East.
But there will also be other global issues on the table such as the long wave of the pandemic and the climate issue, in addition to relations with China.
Before the bilateral meeting, the two leaders will release brief statements to the press in the Oval office.
Excellent relations between the two countries will also be discussed during the meeting as part of a reaffirmed solidity of the transatlantic link.
The topics also include coordination with the allies on measures to support the Ukrainian people and to combat the aggression of Russia.
A coordination that is constant, in continuity with the regular contacts also maintained within Quint.
The meeting will also offer an opportunity for an exchange of views on global challenges of common interest, on the preparations for the G7 and NATO summits scheduled for June, as well as on cooperation on energy, digital, food and climate change security.
The trip to Washington for Draghi will be the occasion for a visit to the US Congress, on the 11th, with a bipartisan meeting with the parliamentarians and a greeting to the speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, whom he had already met last October in Rome.
During the day the meeting with the press at the Italian embassy, while in the evening, before returning to Italy, the premier will be at the Atlantic Council where he will receive the Distinguished Leadership Award.
The head of the Italian government will receive him for his international leadership, after having already been awarded by the think tank in 2015 when he was president of the ECB.
Together with him, on 11 May, Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi (for entrepreneurial leadership) and two representatives of Ukraine will be awarded: the
