“We must not give up.” At the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated the importance of providing military support to Kyiv in its resistance to Russian aggression, explaining that for Italy it is first and foremost a national interest, aimed at protecting the rule of law. On the other hand, it is a form of protest against a country that has decided to exploit its military dominance to invade a weaker neighbor.
In Cernobbio, Zelensky asks for more military support
Mr. Meloni held a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the forum. The two leaders also reportedly discussed the strategy to help the country, which has been at war for two and a half years, survive the winter. “I think that as far as Ukraine is concerned,” the Italian prime minister said, “we must not give up. I say this very clearly, even though I know that there is clearly a public opinion that is frightened and worried, legitimately, about the war.”
For his part, Mr. Zelensky reiterated for the umpteenth time his demand for increased military support from Western countries, as he had done in recent days during a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf ScholzMeloni then added that support for Ukraine would also be at the heart of Italy’s G7 presidency, with a view to a commitment to lasting peace.
According to Zelensky himself, “the restoration and reconstruction of Ukraine, in particular the energy system, was discussed at the meeting. We appreciate Italy’s decision to host the next conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine in 2025 ».
“We also discussed the implementation of the peace formula. Italy is actively participating in the implementation of each point. I thank Giorgia and the Italian people for their support and joint work to restore a just peace,” he said on X.
Gentiloni: “Italian positions are perfectly aligned with those of the EU”
Also present at the Cernobbio forum, the European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Paolo Gentiloni, spoke of a possible new loan to Kyiv worth 50 billion euros. “We are dealing with the issue at the G7 Finance,” explained the senior European official, according to whom an agreement on the issue could be reached in the coming weeks.
As for Giorgia Meloni’s words, Gentiloni appreciated them, judging them “perfectly in line” with the EU’s orientation: “If we want to give peace a chance, we must continue to support Ukraine, including providing it with weapons“Only if it resists will a concrete prospect of negotiations open up.”
Question of weapons, bone of contention?
It is noteworthy that many in Ukraine began to suspect the Italian government of disagreements over Ukraine after the ruling coalition parties issued various statements.
As a reminder, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that Ukraine should not use Italian weapons to strike Russian territory.
“We sent mainly defensive weapons, and now we will send a new Samp-T battery, which is defensive and cannot be used on Russian territory. We repeat that we are not at war with Russia, that NATO is not at war with Russia, and therefore Italy’s position remains unchanged: to use our weapons on the territory of Ukraine,” the head of Italian diplomacy stressed.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Borrellalso spoke from Cernobbio. His assessment of Meloni’s statements is also positive, but the Spaniard reiterated his request to allow Kyiv to use “fully” the weapons supplied by Western countries, so that it can also strike Russian territory.
