United States president Donald Trump considers Italy's head of state Sergio Mattarella to be a "strong partner" of the US and a champion of transatlantic ties, administration officials said ahead of a visit by Mattarella to Washington on Wednesday.
"Mattarella is a strong partner of the US and an ardent supporter of the transatlantic link," according to the officials.
Talks at the White House between Trump and Mattarella will focus on "key issues" including bilateral cooperation, the officials said.
"Trump greatly appreciates Italy's contribution to international military missions and he is fully aware of its role as a key ally within Nato, which makes one the biggest contributions to the North Atlantic Alliance - from the Baltic to Iraq and Afghanistan," said the officials.
The US president also views Italy as "a priceless partner" in the F-35 fighter jet programme, the officials underlined.
But at the same time Trump "expects all partners, including Italy, to honour commitments made on sharing military expenses, with consequent budget increases," the officials cautioned.
Trump has long accused European allies, especially Germany, Europe's largest economy, of taking US security guarantees for granted and claims they need to spend much more on their own defence.
All 29 Nato members currently contribute to the organisation's budget according to an agreed formula based on gross national income. They have pledged to move towards spending 2 percent of their national output on defence by 2024.
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