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Uncertainty has arisen within the Italian government regarding its stance on Ukraine following a highly anticipated summit of the leaders of Italy’s three ruling parties, which was intended to signal a unified position ahead of the parliamentary session resuming after the summer break.
According to Euractiv, as reported by “European Pravda,” after the meeting of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Brothers of Italy), Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini (League), and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani (Forza Italia), a joint statement was issued in two different versions.
The version from “Brothers of Italy” mentioned the “government’s unified position on the war in Ukraine,” while the version from Salvini’s “League” referred to “support for Kyiv but opposition to any military intervention beyond Ukraine’s borders.”
The “League” version was quickly retracted within 15 minutes, with the party apologizing, attributing the error to haste.
“The text, sent out mistakenly but immediately corrected, was changed in full agreement with all other leaders purely for stylistic reasons, not for content. It was a simple mistake. There are no issues within the majority,” Salvini stated hours later.
“The majority is united on foreign policy, as was officially confirmed even after the center-right summit. And there will be no parliamentary initiatives contradicting this, as some left-wing media suggest today, which we categorically reject,” stated the “League” on Sunday.
The statement continued: “The government’s position on Ukraine is clear” following an incident initiated by the “League” just two days earlier.
“No one believes it was just a mistake; it creates a problem because it spoils the atmosphere,” Salvini said, according to ANSA.
The opposition quickly seized on the incident, questioning the “League’s” version of events.
“This shows that the ‘League’ is blackmailing the government over Ukraine,” said Lia Quartapelle, a Democratic Party MP.
Enrico Borghi, an MP from “Italia Viva,” offered a broader analysis.
“It’s far from just a ‘stylistic choice,’ Salvini. The difference between leaving this passage in the statement or removing it is similar to the difference between standing with Orbán or with the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom,” he said.
It is also noteworthy that Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani recently stated that Ukraine should not use Italian weapons to strike Russian territory.
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