Rome, Mar 3: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni remains “extremely skeptical” about sending European troops to Ukraine and does not share the corresponding proposal of Great Britain and France, Italian media reported on Monday.
Meloni on Sunday attended a Leaders’ Summit in London which saw participation of more than a dozen European heads of state and Canadian Prime Minister to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine following a week of intense diplomatic talks.
The Italian PM held bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. “The meeting allowed to reaffirm Italy’s support for Ukraine and its people and the commitment, together with European and Western partners and the United States, to build a just and lasting peace, which ensures a future of sovereignty, security and freedom for Ukraine,” read a statement issued by the Italian PM’s office after Meloni’s meeting Zelensky.
Leading Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that Meloni asserted that Rome is ready to participate in such joint European mission in Ukraine only if it is under the auspices of the United Nations and on condition that the hostilities end.
Regarding the unsuccessful negotiations of Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, which ended in a squabble with US President Donald Trump, Meloni said that she regrets what happened in the Oval Office, but it should not be turned into “a clash of fans” by taking sides. During the meeting, Meloni also stressed the importance of unity in the West, proposing to host a summit between European leaders and the US to improve ties after the relationship between the long-time allies strained over the war in Ukraine.
IANS
