The key facts

  • Meloni: the Trump-Putin deal on Russian diesel is a 'very risky step' and a legitimization of Moscow
  • Zelensky thanked Meloni; Zakharova said 'it is none of her business'
  • Meloni called for the E3 to act with a mandate from all 27 EU countries; Salvini against gratuitous aid to Ukraine

Criticism of the deal in the Italian parliament

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking in parliament in Rome on Wednesday before departing for Brussels for the European Council meeting (Thursday and Friday), called the Trump-Putin deal on purchasing Russian diesel fuel a 'very risky step' and 'a legitimization of Moscow at a time when its bombs continue to fall on Ukrainian cities.' She warned of an 'unspoken weakening of the sanctions mechanism,' which, in her words, contradicts the measures taken, including by the United States, 'to force Putin to the negotiating table.' About the Russian president, Meloni said that he 'is provoking Europe because he needs to divert attention from the course of the conflict and is looking for a new enemy.' She called Italy's position on supporting Ukraine unchanged.

Reactions from Kyiv and Moscow

Volodymyr Zelensky, who was on a visit to London on Wednesday, thanked Meloni on the social network X 'for understanding who the aggressor is and what it means to build a dignified and lasting peace.' In an interview in the UK, he said that he is 'hurt by the fact that President Trump is choosing the other side' — apparently referring to the situation where the Starlink satellite network allegedly failed to provide data on approaching Russian missiles during recent massive attacks on Ukraine. In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented to Italian media: 'It is none of her business.'

Call for a unified EU position

In the Senate, Meloni stated that if France, Germany and the United Kingdom in the E3 format believe they can achieve more alone than all together (which is the path they have chosen so far), then they should at least act on behalf of all and with an official mandate. She emphasized the importance of Europe not acting chaotically and speaking with a single voice, calling on the 27 EU countries to designate an authoritative figure with a common mandate to represent Europe's position at the negotiating table; if there is no agreement on the candidate, Italy is ready to consider other options.

Disagreements within the ruling coalition

Within the Italian ruling coalition there are disagreements over Ukraine. Responding to parliamentarians from the far-right Futuro Nazionale movement founded by MEP Roberto Vannacci, Meloni said in the Chamber of Deputies that what is being done regarding Ukraine fully corresponds to the election program with which the party was elected. Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the League Matteo Salvini, however, said that Italy 'cannot keep sending billions' to Ukraine indefinitely — not as loans, but as gratuitous aid. At a briefing in the European Parliament, he also pointed out that other EU countries, in particular Belgium and Spain, 'continue to purchase energy carriers and gas from Russia.'