The Chamber gave the green light to the majority resolution on support for Ukraine: 186 yes, 49 against and 81 abstentions. The resolution commits, among other things, the government to «continue to support Ukraine, in coordination with NATO, the European Union, the G7 countries, and international allies, through a contribution consistent with the commitments undertaken and aimed at the defense of the population, critical infrastructures and in perspective the overall security of the European continent; to continue Italy’s diplomatic action, working to encourage initiatives aimed at a ceasefire and the completion of the ongoing negotiation process, which leads to a just and lasting peace, based on respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty in deciding its own future; to strengthen the Italian contribution to Ukraine’s energy resilience, reconstruction, development and macro-financial stabilization initiatives, in coordination with the G7 donor platform, also through forms of industrial cooperation and strategic partnerships, with a view to security, cooperation and European growth, and facilitating the involvement of our entrepreneurial fabric, included in the EU programs currently being implemented; to guarantee adequate information to Parliament on the implementation of the decree and on the developments of the ongoing international negotiations, ensuring full respect for parliamentary prerogatives and transparency within the limits imposed by the necessary protection of classified information; to enhance the strengthening of civil, medical, logistical and humanitarian aid, responding to the needs of protecting the population and essential infrastructures, in line with the sensitivities expressed by Parliament as a whole”.
Crosetto: “Helping a nation defend itself is not a bellicose choice”
“There has not been a single time in which I have said or thought that Ukraine can win the war or said that arming Ukraine was the way to end the war. Arming Ukraine was helping it defend and protect itself. I have always thought that the only possible solution was a diplomatic one and I do not accept that someone, by mystifying the truth, talks about a warmongering choice”. Thus the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, after the debate on communications on Ukraine in the Chamber. “Helping a nation defend itself is not a war-mongering choice, I reject the idea that helping Ukraine by providing the possibility of defending itself is a warmongering or warmongering choice. No one has ever thought that supplying weapons would serve to end the war, but we would never have done it if the Russian tanks had not crossed the border”, he added.
“Discussing – continued the minister – what we will do the day after the truce, saying that we are planning to go to Ukraine when we know that the truce must be accepted by Russia, which probably will not want to see European feet in Ukraine, becomes surreal.”
Two Northern League deputies vote against
Two MPs voted against the majority’s resolution on Ukraine. These are Rossano Sasso and Edoardo Ziello who confirmed their position at the end of the Chamber. “Aside from the lexical acrobatics, the substance has not changed,” explained Ziello.