While giving a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Thursday, Trump was asked if he sees a role for the Trump administration in "helping stabilizing Libya".
Gentiloni, who took office in December, stressed the need for burden-sharing in the refugee crisis, given Italy's proximity to Libya, where large numbers of migrants take the risky voyage across the Mediterranean to reach Europe.
Gentiloni was given a warm welcome to the White House with Trump saying "I can't wait" to come to Italy for the May 26-27 Taormina G7 summit. He also dwelled on the "common commitment against terrorism" between Rome and Washington as well as the necessity to socially and economically collaborate with Muslim communities to effectively combat it.
Mattia Toaldo from the European Council on Foreign Relations, a thinktank, said Trump's statement would in effect leave Russia, Egypt and Algeria to help arrange a settlement in Libya. He announced at a press conference that he sees no further role for the United States regarding the African nation.
The two leaders also concurred that "Assad can not be the future in Syria".
Massive firing drill but no nuclear test
The United States has speculated that North Korea could carry out another nuclear or missile test timed to Tuesday's celebration. And the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is also headed toward the peninsula for a joint exercise with South Korea.
After a White House meeting with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Trump stuck to his demand that European allies meet their financial obligations in their partnerships with the USA, including North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. "And it's also, in my opinion - in my very strong opinion, important for the USA", he said.
"We are used to respecting our commitments", he said.
The president said that a solid Europe was "very important" to him - a far cry from the campaign trail, when he hailed Brexit and called the European Union a "vehicle for Germany".
Trump was expected to be a topic of discussion as Italy hosts the G7 leaders' summit next month, which will be part of the USA president's entry into the world of multilateral summitry. While disparaging the nuclear deal and accusing Iran of fomenting violence and terrorism throughout the Middle East, Trump has avoided committing to abandoning the agreement, a move that would be staunchly opposed by US businesses and European allies. "We will help it be strong, and it's very much to everybody's advantage". Yet he pointedly stopped sort of telegraphing whether or not the USA would stay in.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson accused Iran this week of destabilizing the world, and said the administration is reviewing the Obama administration's decision to lift economic sanctions against Tehran. Critics have said it's unfathomable that the USA would grant sanctions relief to Tehran even as Tehran continues testing ballistic missiles, violating human rights and supporting extremist groups elsewhere in the Middle East. But the USA must decide next month whether to renew a waiver so that Iran can continue receiving sanctions relief.
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