AGI Tensions between Italy and Moscow are rising after the harsh attack by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Italy, Zakharova says, “at that very difficult moment, they probably forgot who was helping back then. And now, with all its leadership, it is at the forefront of an attack on our country. The position of Rome is just indecent. “he adds.”Only the massacres are indecent‘ is Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s reply after the meeting at Palazzo Chigi with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
The prime minister reiterated the “strong condemnation of Italy for the massacres of civilians committed in recent days” by the Russian armed forces: “Moscow will have to give an account of what happened, we must fully investigate the war crimes,” adds the prime minister, who continues to sought a European side for a common position on both the energy and economic fronts.
In Brussels, however, divisions remain. Notwithstanding the condemnation of the attack on Moscow, the 27 still have no answer to the consequences of the Kremlin’s aggressive policy.
Draghi makes a new appeal for the EU to find “the same spirit on the front lines of energy and economic policies” that was used to deal with the tragedy of the pandemic. “Structural solutions that limit the price of energy are needed to protect families’ purchasing power and companies’ productive capacity he says our governments have made their contribution and will continue to do so, but energy policy interventions cannot only burden national public budgets, they must be structural. Now is the time to act, he affirms.
Italy’s position therefore remains that of calling on EU partners to set a cap on gas prices in order to constrain Moscow’s financial options, but it is the Dutch Prime Minister himself who directly confirms Draghi’s ‘no’ from The Hague. A cap on the price of petrol? “Yes, if the benefits outweigh the problems. That’s how it should be, otherwise it becomes ideology and we can’t afford it. We have to understand the risks and find a solution, emphasizes Rutte.
And Draghi himself confirms that he has failed to persuade the Dutch leader and bring him closer to Rome’s line. “No, I haven’t managed to convince him to cap the price of gas yet, but Rutte has taken a fundamental step; he said that there is no principle preventing the idea of putting it and said he is ready to examine all the reasons for it and to have an open discussion on the issue, which is certainly more than before,” Draghi said at the end of the bilateral conversation.
However, Italian involvement does not stop at sanctions. Italy promotes a peace conference on Ukraine and is ready to act as a guarantor, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said in an interview with Messenger. Di Maio assured that “our embassy will return to Kyiv soon”.
“The main way remains diplomacy” and “we are working on expanding humanitarian corridors”, underlined the minister. “There are no vetoes to stop Russian gas, but businesses and families must be supported‘ He added, repeating the call for the EU to set a ‘ceiling on the price of gas’.
Meanwhile, political forces are discussing the economic implications of the conflict following the government’s presentation of the economic and financial document. The Democratic Party has been taking the hard line against Moscow for days First, he proposed a total embargo on Russian gas and oil. A position similar to that of the prime minister, who at the press conference exaggeratedly explained the need to sacrifice some energy supplies for peace: “You have to choose between air conditioning and peace”.
A joke that annoys the M5: “A Manichaean question”, defines Giuseppe Conte, who met with the Dem guide for lunch yesterday. On the menu was an item on the war in Ukraine, measures to protect families and businesses threatened by the economic crisis, but also strategies for upcoming administrative issues.
In fact, as the date of the municipal vote neared, the Cinque Stela changed their alignment in relation to the government line, emphasizing critical tones, as seen on the issue of military spending. Carlo Calenda also sees criticism of the Prime Minister’s joke, who reiterated his position in an interview with Corriere della Sera: “The immediate embargo on Russian gas is not a question of air conditioning. The embargo would expose us within four months and lead to the collapse of industrial production. It would be paradoxical to present himself to Putin with a hat in his hand.
But from the Vatican comes the partial confirmation of a message that has been awaited for days: Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin does not rule out the hypothesis of a Pope’s trip to Kyiv, which Francis himself said was on the table. “A trip is not forbidden, it can be made. It’s about seeing what the consequences of this trip will be and assessing whether it can really contribute to the end of the war,” says Parolin.