Elon Musk has dismissed speculation about a romantic relationship with the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, after complimenting her appearance at an awards ceremony at New York.

At the Global Citizen Award ceremony, hosted by the Atlantic Council think tank, Mr. Musk presented Ms. Meloni with the award. During the presentation, he described her as “someone who is even more beautiful inside than outside,” and praised her as “authentic, honest, and thoughtful.”

Mr. Musk said he was just being polite: “I was there with my Mom. There is no romantic relationship whatsoever with PM Meloni,” he said in an X post, accompanied by a photograph of him and Ms. Meloni at the event.

At the ceremony, Ms. Meloni lauded Mr. Musk’s “precious genius” and delivered a fervent speech defending Western values. Mr. Musk stood and applauded at the conclusion of her speech.

The interaction at the gala was not the first meeting between the leaders. The two have met multiple times in recent years, sharing concerns over declining birth rates in the West and a mutual interest in artificial intelligence.

Mr. Musk has also made several visits to Rome and participated in Ms. Meloni’s political party festival last December, along with expressing approval of the Italian government’s strict immigration policies.