In June 2018, Gentiloni was replaced by Giuseppe Conte, a populist politician, who built a close relationship with Trump. Since the beginning of Conte's government, Trump considered him a key ally during international meetings as well as his "privileged interlocutor" in Europe. On 8 and 9 June, during G7 summit, Conte was the only leader to back Trump and his proposal to readmit Russia into the G7. On the following day, Conte was thanked for his positions on Russia and his populist stance by Trump, who invited him to the White House. On 28 June, Conte participated in his first European Council meeting and blocked a joint EU trade and defense statement criticizing Trump's tariff policy.