Seeking a diplomatic way out, Rome and Berlin both turned to their constitutions.
“We are ready. But of course there are objective problems with the way the initiative is structured,” Meloni said in Rome on Friday during a joint press conference with Merz. “I have also spoken to the American president about this. Perhaps we can try to resolve these issues,” she added.
Meloni argued that Trump’s peace board would contravene a provision of the Italian constitution that precludes the country from joining international bodies in which one entity — in this case the U.S. president — would have more power than its peers.
Merz, who was in Rome for consultations aimed at strengthening German and Italian cooperation within the EU, backed up Meloni’s comments.
“I would personally be willing to join a peace board,” Merz said. He then added, however, that: “We cannot accept the governance structures, also for constitutional reasons in Germany. But we are, of course, willing to try other forms, new forms of cooperation.”
Germany had previously welcomed Trump’s invitation, while remaining on the fence. German officials said Berlin’s aim was to formulate a united response to Trump’s peace board plan, while stressing that the U.N. should remain the main multilateral forum to resolve conflicts.