U.S. President Donald Trump sees Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as a valuable intermediary with Europe on trade, NATO spending and other issues, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday ahead of Trump's meeting with Meloni.

The two leaders have "a very special relationship" and plan to work together on issues such as ending the war in Ukraine, the official told reporters in a conference call.

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Andrea Shalal;)