WEST PALM BEACH, Florida/ROME (Reuters) -Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday she was ready to work with Donald Trump after making a surprise visit to Florida to meet the president-elect before his inauguration on Jan.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago to meet with President-elect Trump on Saturday. They were joined by a number of Trump’s expected nominees for his forthcoming administration,

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni did not discuss the issue of Elon Musk's SpaceX supplying Italy with its Starlink services during her weekend visit to the United States, her office said in a statement on Monday.

Meloni received a rapturous welcome to Trump's Palm Beach resort, according to videos circulating on social media.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made a whirlwind visit to Donald Trump at his Florida retreat on Saturday, as European leaders attempt to bolster ties with the incoming United States president.

Elon Musk said on Monday he was ready to provide Italy with secure communication services after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denied that the issue had come up during a weekend visit to the United States.

The Italian prime minister’s apparent closeness with the US president-elect could help avert a looming trade war.

Italian opposition leaders roundly criticized Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government for engaging in talks with Elon Musk’s SpaceX on a €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) deal for encrypted communications systems.

Elon Musk is close to further solidifying his ties with Europe’s right-wing political class as his SpaceX group nears an historic deal with the Italian government to provide security services to the public sector,

Italy is reportedly close to sealing a €1.5 billion (£1.25 billion) deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX that would provide the country’s government with secure telecommunications.