Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has expressed doubts about a new package of military aid to Ukraine, saying he does not want to “fuel corruption.” Defense Minister Guido Crosetto responded that an ally cannot be judged “because of two corrupt officials” and recalled the US’s support for Italy despite the mafia.
This was reported by the Italian news agency ANSA.
Italy is preparing a new aid package for Ukraine, which will be signed in the near future. This was announced by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini questioned the advisability of such a decision.
“It seems to me that scandals related to corruption are surfacing, then affecting the Ukrainian government, so I would not want the money of Italian workers and pensioners to fuel further corruption,” Salvini said.
During his visit to the port of Naples, Salvini called for following the path indicated by the Pope and US President Donald Trump, namely a ceasefire. He also said that he does not consider sending new weapons to be an effective way to change the situation on the front lines.
“Dialogue, bringing Zelensky and Putin to the table, and silencing the weapons. I don’t think sending more weapons will solve anything. To think that sending weapons to Ukraine means that Ukraine will be able to regain its lost territories is naive, to say the least,” he said.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto contradicted Salvini, stressing that Ukraine cannot be judged “by two corrupt officials” and recalling that “the US helped us despite the mafia.” He emphasized that support for Kyiv remains important for European security.
Meanwhile, the Italian government is preparing to officially announce a new package of military and financial aid to Ukraine, despite internal discussions about the risks of corruption and the future strategy for resolving the war.