Like the Italian Air Force jet fighters that were scrambled to escort an American Airlines plane in peril to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Giorgia Meloni is soaring. Italy’s premier has taken flight in the rarefied atmosphere of diplomacy, daring to go where no man — or woman — has gone before in pursuit of an enduring peace in Europe.

Though President Trump has initiated talks to end the Russo-Ukrainian war — something that his somnambulant predecessor never contemplated — the president’s initial overture seemed to minimize President Putin’s aggression while labeling President Zelensky a “dictator.”

Coming on the heels of Mr. Trump’s threat to bolt the North Atlantic Treaty over Europe’s meager defense spending — and Vice President Vance’s critique of Germany’s infringement on free speech — the Europeans recoiled in horror. Signora Meloni did not.

Unlike France’s Emmanuel Macron, the U.K.’s Sir Keir Starmer, or Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, Signora Meloni has not fallen prey to the either/or fallacy. She can entertain two conflicting political thoughts at the same time while remaining ideologically consistent.

Prime Minister Meloni is a supporter of Mr. Zelensky. Yet she shares President Trump’s conservative principles. Moreover, she senses that for all Mr. Trump’s bombast, boisterousness, and flights of fancy, POTUS 47 desires peace.

In Mr. Trump’s belief that the Ukrainian war could metastasize into a third world war, Signora Meloni no doubt sees a glint of Ronald Reagan’s aversion to a global nuclear holocaust. That’s why the staunchly anti-Communist Gipper journeyed to Moscow.

Still, unlike Mikhail Gorbachev, Mr. Putin is a cutthroat tyrant who blithely bombs civilians. Yet Signora Meloni knows that one makes peace with one’s enemy. She adheres to Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus’s maxim: Si vis pacem, para bellum — “If you want peace, prepare for war.”

“Rome has been there for the Ukrainians and will be there,” she said in a recent G-7 Zoom colloquy.

Following that conference on February 24, Mr. Trump lauded both the Magic Boot and its premier: “I love Italy. You have a wonderful woman as your leader. And Italy is a very important nation. Italy has got very strong leadership with Giorgia.”

POTUS 47 made those comments while seated in the Oval Office alongside visiting President Macron.

Signora Meloni’s sinewy leadership is exemplified by her ability to navigate the treacherous currents separating disparate political factions, building bridges that strengthen old alliances while forging new accords.

Despite reservations among some politicos — including Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini — who favor discontinuing Rome’s aid to Kyiv, the Italian Parliament extended military support for Ukraine through 2025. Italy’s 10 military aid packages to Ukraine have included advanced weapons systems like the Italian-French SAMP/T air defense units.

Such is the power of Giorgia.

Unlike the likely chancellor, Herr Merz, who seeks to decouple his nation from the United States, Prime Minister Meloni can adjust to the exigencies of the day without abandoning the Arsenal of Democracy.

Though she acknowledges that Italy and Europe are indeed architects of their own destinies, Signora Meloni is no fair-weather ally. Despite the commentariat’s gushing over Friedrich Merz’s lackluster win in Deutschland, the Italian prime minister represents the continent’s true leader.

In an op-ed in Italy’s Il Giornale, the secretary of state during President Trump’s first term, Mike Pompeo, explained how “the rest of Europe should follow Italy’s example.”

Specifically, “Under the leadership of Premier Meloni, your nation ended its accord with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, eliminated the regulations limiting the free market and prioritized an increase in military spending.”

What’s more, Signora Meloni welcomed POTUS 47 as “an invaluable partner sharing common interests” — and she should serve as a model for other European leaders to emulate.

In her address to the recent CPAC conference, she underscored how the Seed of Aeneas is “reclaiming our role as a global leader,” restoring Italy’s “rightful place on the international stage,” and upholding the West, “a civilization forged from a fusion of Greek philosophy, Roman law and Christian values.”

Signora Meloni reminded everyone around the world that “the West cannot exist without America.” That is how the premier intends to chart the way forward.