Speaking to Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Tajani said foreign policy "is not made with insults" or "unmotivated attacks", adding that Italy had rightly pushed back.
"Being a loyal ally of the United States, as we are, does not mean giving up our sovereignty: we are subjects of no one," he added.
The diplomatic row erupted last Friday when Trump claimed Meloni had "begged" him for a joint photo at the recent G7 summit in France, saying he felt sorry for her.
The Italian PM accused the US president of making up the story, and her government cancelled a long-planned business forum in Miami that Tajani and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio were due to attend.
"I and Italy never beg," she said in a video published on X.
Italian politicians across the spectrum, along with President Sergio Mattarella, voiced support for the prime minister.
Trump then escalated matters on Truth Social, saying Meloni's popularity was suffering because she had refused to back the US in preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and that now Washington had defeated Iran militarily, she wanted to be friends again.
"No thanks!!!" he wrote.
Meloni hit back on social media, calling the attacks "senseless" and saying her popularity depended on defending Italy's national interests, not on her friendship with Trump.
"Italy remains a sovereign nation," she wrote, adding that her popularity "is none of your concern" and suggesting Trump focus on his own.
She said she would not revisit the matter further, while affirming she still believed in Western unity.
Tajani said his contacts with Rubio remained open and described their relationship as "frank", noting the two would meet at the NATO summit in Ankara on 7–8 July.
He added that he would attend Rome's celebrations marking 250 years of US independence "with his head held high," describing transatlantic relations as "a strategic choice of sides" rather than tied to any particular US administration.
(ał)
Source: PAP, esteri.it