Rubio’s Rome mission tests Vatican diplomacy and Italian leverage

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels to Rome to manage a delicate balance: press Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on defense and trade while avoiding a combustible spat with the Vatican, where leverage is minimal and diplomacy rules. Meloni’s government has some room to align with Washington, but domestic politics and Trump-era pressure complicate concessions, with talks likely touching Iran, Cuba and broader Western Hemisphere issues. The trip underscores that American influence remains meaningful but uneven: effective with Rome, far harder to move the Vatican.