Meloni is set to give a speech to the Senate on her approach to an upcoming EU summit where leaders will discuss plans to ramp up military aid for Ukraine amid faltering US support.
Italy's hard-right government has strongly backed Kyiv in its war with Russia despite a history of warm ties between coalition members Forza Italia and Lega with Moscow.
Meloni's Brothers of Italy party last week backed an EU plan to ramp up defence spending after US President Donald Trump withdrew military support for Kyiv and opened negotiations with Moscow.
But Meloni has also sought to avoid antagonising Trump, a fellow conservative who invited her to his inauguration while shunning other major EU leaders.
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At crisis talks with European allies in London earlier this month, Meloni stressed the importance of avoiding "the risk that the West divides".
She has also brushed off French President Emmanuel Macron's idea of extending its nuclear umbrella to other European nations, saying: "I would avoid this scenario."
Meloni has said on multiple occasions that Italy will not send any troops to Ukraine to defend any potential truce agreement. She reiterated this in a video call with allies on Saturday.
Tightrope
Europe's defence plan has divided public opinion in Italy, with an Ipsos survey for the Corriere della Sera newspaper recently finding that 39 percent of respondents were against it, with only 28 percent in favour.
The survey also found a decline in support for Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022.
Europe's 'rearm' plan has created tensions within Meloni's government, with Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the populist Lega party, leading the charge against it.
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Salvini, who has in the past expressed his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, has embraced the new approach from Washington.
He said earlier this month that EU calls to strengthen the bloc's military are "dangerous and irresponsible", adding that Trump is "the only leader capable of finally bringing peace".
Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgietti has also warned against the risk of further swelling Italy's public debt.
Rome currently spends about 1.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence – below the NATO commitment of two percent and well below Trump's demand of five percent.
The third party in Meloni's coalition, the centre-right Forza Italia, led by Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, backs Europe's defence plan.
Lorenzo Castellani, a political expert at Rome's Luiss University, said Meloni was walking a "tightrope".
"It will be difficult for her to increase military spending by what she promised – 2.5 percent of GDP," due to political opposition and debt, he told AFP.
At the same time though, "I do not expect her to break with Trump," he said.
Castellani added that he expected Meloni to keep working with European allies while trying to "slow down the proposals of the countries most willing to support Kyiv".
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