Meloni made surprise flying visit to Trump in Florida.

Italy is in advanced talks with Elon Musk's SpaceX over a €1.5 billion deal to supply secure telecommunications services to the government, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday.

The five-year contract, which has yet to be signed, reportedly includes a top-level encryption system for the Italian government's telephone networks and internet services, military communications and satellite services for emergencies.

The deal has already been approved by Italy's intelligence services and defence ministry, according to the Bloomberg report which cites unnamed sources.

The news comes after Italy's right-wing prime minister Giorgia Meloni made a surprise flying visit to US President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Saturday.

Bloomberg reports that the SpaceX agreement “appeared to move forward” following the meeting between the two leaders who reportedly discussed issues including possible new US tariffs on EU goods and the war in Ukraine, as well as efforts to free the Italian journalist Cecilia Sala imprisoned in Iran, according to The New York Times.

Trump hailed Meloni as “a fantastic woman", telling a gathering a Mar-a-Lago that the Italian prime minister "has really taken Europe by storm.”

Bella serata con @realDonaldTrump che ringrazio per l’accoglienza.
Pronti a lavorare insieme pic.twitter.com/ohNSSq1vLg— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) January 5, 2025

Meloni's five-hour visit marked the second time that the Italian premier met Trump since he won the US elections in November.During a brief meeting in Paris in early December, on the sidelines of the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, Trump described Meloni as “a real live-wire”.

In a social media post on Sunday, Meloni shared a smiling picture of herself and Trump in Mar-a-Lago, writing: "Ready to work together", along with emojis of the flags of Italy and the US.

In mid-December, following criticism from the opposition in parliament, Meloni defended her friendship with tech billionaire Musk, telling Italian lawmakers that she would not be influenced in areas where he has economic interests, adding that she had good relationships “with many people" but doesn't "take orders from anyone.”

Meloni's visit to see Trump comes just days before a scheduled Rome visit by outgoing US President Joe Biden on 9-12 January, in what is likely to be his last overseas trip in office before he is succeeded by Trump on 20 January.