Meloni has led Italy's right-wing government since the founding of the republic in 1946. Macron was the first foreign leader she met after taking office.
The French presidential office described the meeting with the Italian head of government as "pragmatic and constructive", but also as "open". Meloni's office, in turn, called the conversation "friendly and fruitful." It was about the need for urgent and joint action against high energy prices, support for Ukraine and migration issues.
Meloni and Macron agree that their countries want to continue "working together on the greatest common challenges at the European level, while respecting their respective national interests," said the Prime Minister's office.
Even before Macron reported his meeting with Meloni on Twitter, he thanked the outgoing Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi for his cooperation.
Statements from those close to the French head of state made it clear that Macron viewed the new Italian prime minister with reservations. The Meloni government "will be judged a bit by its actions," it said. The president is "vigilant" with regard to the new Italian government.
The ultra-right Meloni was sworn in on Saturday. On Sunday she formally took over government affairs from her predecessor Draghi and then chaired her first cabinet meeting.
In addition to Meloni's Party d'Italia (FDI), the right-wing nationalist Lega and the conservative Forza Italia (FI) also belong to her government. There are already tensions within the coalition, for example over the stance on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
While Meloni's coalition partners, Matteo Salvini from the Lega and Silvio Berlusconi from the FI, have been making friendly comments about Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin for years, Meloni is committed to supporting Ukraine - a commitment that she reiterated after taking office.
Macron delivered a speech at a peace meeting of the Catholic Community of Sant'Egidio during his visit to Rome. He pleaded for a peace solution between Ukraine and Russia. However, the decision as to when peace with Russia is "possible" lies solely with the Ukrainians, he stressed at the same time.
