Olympics-Italy's Meloni plays down ICE agent furore as she meets Vance

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends U.S. Vice President JD Vance bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during Vance's visit to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/Pool

MILAN, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Italian Prime ‌Minister Giorgia Meloni met U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Milan ‌on Friday, hours before the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, using ‌the encounter to reaffirm the strength of U.S.–Italian ties despite tensions around the presence of U.S. security personnel at the Games.

The meeting was also attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.