ROME, July 6 (Reuters) - Italy's defence minister stressed the importance of good transatlantic relations on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump again goaded erstwhile ally Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister.

Meloni last month accused Trump of fabricating a story about her after the U.S. president told an Italian TV channel that she had "begged" him to take a photo with her at a G7 summit in France.

With the two leaders due to attend a NATO summit in Turkey this week, Trump appeared to reignitethe dispute when he posted on Truth Social a picture of Meloni looking up at him with the caption "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED".

The Italian prime minister has yet to respond.

"I did not have any reaction (to the post), the fundamental thing is to maintain relations with a key ally like the USA," Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told Italy's Sky TV.

"People come and go but relationships remain," he added.

Opposition politicians were less restrained.

"Trump is a despicable, cheap bully," Carlo Calenda, the leader of the small Azione party, wrote on X, expressing his support for Meloni.

Meloni was once a vocal supporter of Trump and was the only European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025.

However, she criticised him this year for lashing out at Pope Leo over his condemnation of the Iran conflict. That in turn prompted a blunt rebuke from the U.S. president, who accused her of lacking courage.

(Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Kate Mayberry)