Italy to join US-led Pax Silica AI initiative despite Trump row

Italy will join the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative to secure artificial intelligence supply chains, despite a diplomatic dispute involving Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and U.S. President Donald Trump. Armando Varricchio, an official at the Italian foreign ministry, said Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will sign a memorandum of understanding “at the first available opportunity.” Pax Silica, run through the U.S. State Department, brings allied countries together to protect AI-related inputs spanning energy, critical minerals, advanced manufacturing and AI models. The European Commission joined on Thursday, and the Netherlands committed earlier in the week. Varricchio attended a Washington summit as an observer on June 25 and signed a joint declaration with countries including Britain, Germany, Japan, India and South Korea.