Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will not participate in a video conference organized by the UK and France, aimed at strengthening military support for Ukraine, according to reports by La Repubblica and La Stampa.
The article in La Repubblica states that it is “certain” that Meloni will boycott the virtual meeting of Western European state and government leaders, summoned by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for Saturday.
Italian officials, as reported, are distancing themselves from the French-British axis, as they do not agree with the proposal by London and Paris to send peacekeeping troops to support Kiev. Meloni believes that Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are moving too hastily, according to La Repubblica.
The step taken by Rome could “split the front that Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron are trying to build” comments La Stampa.
The media outlet claims that the Italian authorities have decided to opt out of the video conference after extensive discussions with other governments, including that of US President Donald Trump.
Starmer had announced at an emergency summit in London in early March that the UK and France were prepared to lead a “coalition of the willing” to support Ukraine with troops and aircraft. This was shortly after a public disagreement between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House, in which Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of resisting peace with Russia and being ungrateful for US aid.
Shortly after the summit, Meloni stated that “Italy will not send troops to Ukraine.” She suggested that European politicians should instead focus on creating conditions for a just and lasting peace between Moscow and Kiev, including security guarantees for Ukraine.
Early this week, the prime minister expressed satisfaction with the results of the talks between the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia, which ended with Kiev agreeing to a “temporary, preliminary 30-day ceasefire.” She said that Rome supports Trump’s peace efforts “in full” and that “the decision now lies with Russia.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Thursday that the cessation of hostilities would lead to a long-term peace and that the original causes of the crisis must be eliminated. Moscow wants the conflict to be resolved through reliable, legally binding agreements and categorically rejects the stationing of Western “peacekeeping troops” in Ukraine.