Italy presents itself to the European Council with a prudent and still open line on all fronts, starting from the use of frozen Russian assets. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni clarifies that Rome is “open to any solution”, but only on condition that there is “a solid legal basis”, because a hasty use of resources would risk giving Moscow “the first real victory”.
The prime minister flies to Brussels leaving every scenario on the table, including that of not participating in the final decision if the conditions are not met. “It is still too early to say how it will end,” explain majority sources, after communications in Parliament marked by strong tensions with the opposition.
Ukraine, support but without soldiers
Meloni reiterates that the government “does not intend to send soldiers to Ukraine”, while in the majority resolution Kiev is guaranteed support defined as “multidimensional”, accompanied however by the commitment to fight money laundering and corruption. There is no direct reference to military supplies, although an extension is expected in a decree at the end of the year which should also include civilian aid.
On the financial level, news from the nocturnal discussions in Brussels are not excluded. “We monitor corruption, but Kiev’s antibodies are encouraging,” Meloni underlines, warning that a Ukrainian collapse would represent “damage for everyone.” The solution, however, will have to be “sustainable” and shared at leader level, avoiding leaps forward.
Russian assets and the Stability Pact
The Italian line remains cautious: «We must aim to use the assets, but being sure we are doing the right thing». Another fixed point concerns the European budget: any financial effort must remain outside the Stability Pact. In the meantime, Meloni highlights the issue of territories as the central issue of the negotiations, defining Russian claims on Donbass as “unreasonable” and inviting them to keep the pressure on Moscow high.
Political clashes and European dossiers
In the Chamber the Prime Minister was the protagonist of harsh confrontations with Elly Schlein, Giuseppe Conte and Matteo Renzi, as well as an exchange with the senator for life Mario Monti. Claiming the popular legitimacy of his government, Meloni rejected accusations of alignment with Donald Trump, reiterating that Italy “is not a cheerleader” and that the United States and Europe “are not competitors”.
There has been no shortage of attacks against Brussels: from Mercosur, which will only be signed with guarantees for farmers, to criticism of the packaging directive and the EU budget proposal. On immigration, the prime minister claims Italy’s role as a trailblazer and defends the Albanian model, while urging acceleration of the accession of the Western Balkans.
Middle East and security
The Middle East also enters the international framework: the United States has asked Italy to contribute to a pilot project for training the Palestinian police destined for Gaza. Meloni also expressed condolences for the anti-Semitic attack in Sydney and thanked the Muslim citizen who stopped the attacker, describing the gesture as “heroic”.
Salvini’s position
Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the League Matteo Salvini also intervenes on the war in Ukraine, calling for “a change of pace” on the decrees relating to weapons. “We will only vote for them if there are changes compared to previous years,” he states, asking to talk about defense and not attack.
Salvini says he is skeptical about a military victory for Kiev and calls for accelerating the end of the conflict, while reiterating that “there is an aggressor and there is someone attacked”. «I work for peace – he concludes – and I don’t want our children to talk about war or be sent to war».