Italian PM Giorgia Meloni greets US aide with ‘namaste’; netizens call it ‘Modi effect’ (Source: ANI)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s visit to the United States for the multilateral meeting on Monday has drawn attention on social media.During her arrival at a multilateral summit, Meloni was seen greeting US chief of protocol Monica Crowley with a traditional Indian “namaste” gesture. The moment was captured on video, which circulated widely on social media, and quickly garnered views with many users reacting to the gesture. While some described it as the “Modi effect,” others highlighted the growing camaraderie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Italian leader. This was not the first time Meloni used the gesture. Earlier, at the G7 Summit in Italy, she was also seen welcoming world leaders with a “namaste.” Her interactions with PM Modi have repeatedly sparked conversations online on several occasions. The Italian prime minister was in Washington on the invitation of US President Donald Trump for a multilateral meeting. Other attendees included European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine amidst the Russia-Ukraine war. At the meeting, Meloni thanked Trump while noting Russia’s willingness to discuss ways to end the conflict. “I think it is an important day, a new phase, after three years … [when] we didn’t see any kind of sign from the Russian side, that there [is] a willingness for dialogue,” she said. “So something is changing. Something has changed.”